Usability Issues in Introducing Capacitive Interaction into Mobile Navigation

Capacitive sensing technology has become a promising solution to alleviating the hardware constraints of mobile interaction methods. However, little is known about users’ perception and satisfaction of the integrated capacitive touch interaction and conventional inputs on mobile devices. This study examined users’ performance of using a traditional 4-way navigation control enhanced with capacitive touch interaction. Findings from this investigation indicate that the additional capacitive interaction mode does not necessarily improve users’ performance or perception of mobile navigation tasks. Although users welcome the innovative interaction techniques supported by the traditional cell phone keypad, it is crucial that the touch-based interaction is easy to discover, easy to maneuver, and does not impede users’ conventional interactivity on mobile devices.