How do people know
what to tap?
D E S I G N I N G F O R M O B I L E
Design Consultant and Researcher
Sara Quinn
e-mail: saraquinnmedia@gmail.com
Twitter: @saraquinn
727.366.0128
Gestures
Gestures
We’ve all seen a toddler work
magic on a touch screen.
Gestures
We’ve all seen a toddler work
magic on a touch screen.
(Seriously … how do they do it?)
How do people know
what to tap?
How do people know
what to tap?
how to swipe?
How do people know
what to tap?
how to swipe?
how to zoom in?
Affordances
In real life …
Affordances
In real life …
a knob is turned
Affordances
In real life …
a knob is turned
a cord is pulled
Affordances
In real life …
a knob is turned
a cord is pulled
No instruction
is needed.
Affordances
An American psychologist
coined the term “affordance”
in the 1970s.
JJ Gibson
Affordances
Basically, how our
visual perception helps
us to understand the world
around us—and how to
interact with it.
JJ Gibson
Affordances
In digital life, we need
to create visual cues
to possible actions.
Affordances
In digital life, we need
to create visual cues
to possible actions.
Affordances
In digital life, we need
to create visual cues
to possible actions.
User experience
Good design for a screen
is intuitive for the user.
Affordances
Sometimes,
the content you
are designing
lives outside
of the screen …
Sometimes,
the content you
are designing
lives outside
of the screen …
to the right …
Affordances
Sometimes,
the content you
are designing
lives outside
of the screen …
to the right …
Affordances
… to the left,
Affordances
… to the left,
up above,
Affordances
… to the left,
up above,
below,
Affordances
… to the left,
up above,
below, next to.
Affordances
It helps to
think in a
virtual 3D
world.
The process
Think in
terms of time,
dimension
and animation.
The process
What action is triggered
when something is tapped?
The process
What action is triggered
when something is tapped?
The process
What action is triggered
when something is tapped?
The process
What action is triggered
when something is tapped?
How do you visualize that
it has actually happened?
The process
The process
What action is triggered
when something is tapped?
How do you visualize that
it has actually happened?
Start with a sketch.
The process
Matt Sundstrom, mattink.com
The process
Matt Sundstrom, mattink.com
The process
Matt Sundstrom, mattink.com
The process
Matt Sundstrom, mattink.com
The process
Gestures http://www.lukew.com/touch/
Affordances
Affordances
Affordances
Affordances
People are loyal to a news
organization or a mobile site
because content is good.
User experience
People are loyal to a news
organization or a mobile site
because content is good.
And, because the experience is
satisfying. The site is easy to use.
User experience
Make yourself easy to contact.
User experience
User experience
Make yourself easy to contact.
Listen to users. Iterate and adapt.
Affordances
Gestures
The process
User experience
Design Consultant and Researcher
Sara Quinn
e-mail: saraquinnmedia@gmail.com
Twitter: @saraquinn
727.366.0128

How Do People Know What to Tap?: Mobile Design