Dustin Curtis makes an interesting observation about the screen sizes of the iPhone and some of its competitors. Newer Android and Windows7 models have larger screens which look more inviting, and some would assume that the extra real-estate would improve the user-experience (by either allowing more context to the data on the screen, or allowing more white-space around individual objects on the screen for easier visibility, larger movies, etc) .
Mr. Curtis started using a new Samsung Galaxy S II phone, which has a 4.2″ screen as compared to the iPhone 4‘s 3.5″ inch screen. After using the Galaxy S II for a few weeks he noticed that, when holding the phone with one hand he couldn’t reach the other side of the phone. When using the phone with one hand (which is relatively common given that the device is meant to be used “on the go”) the “extra real estate” provided by the wider screen was impossible, or at the very least quite frustrating, to access much less use.
Mr. Curtis summed it up nicely:
“This is an example of one of those design decisions that you don’t usually notice until you see someone doing it wrong. It’s one of the things that makes Apple products Apple products.”
I haven’t done the research on “median thumb length” or anything yet, and while I realize that Mr. Curtis could have unusually sort digits this is an interesting issue to consider in regards to mobile usability.
Links:
- Dustin Curtis‘s blog.
- Dustin Curtis on twitter.