Assignment 1: Multi-Touch Screens vs. Mouse-Driven Screens

Assignment 1: Multi-Touch Screens vs. Mouse-Driven Screens

The following resources may be helpful when completing this assignment.

• Norman, D. (2005). Human-centered design considered dangerous. Retrieved from http://www.jnd.org/dn.mss/humancentered_desig.html
• Norman, D. (2007–2010). Activity-centered design: Why I like my Harmony remote control. Retrieved from http://www.jnd.org/dn.mss/activitycentere.html.
• Gersh,
  J. R., McKneely, J. A., and Remington, R. W. (2005) Cognitive
  engineering: Understanding human interaction with complex systems. Johns
  Hopkins APL Technical Digest, 26(4), 377–382. Also available at http://www.jhuapl.edu/techdigest/TD/td2604/Gersh.pdf

Computer
applications that run on desktop and laptop computers have, for a long
time, been designed to be driven by dragging and clicking a mouse. With
the introduction of tablet personal computers, the trend has shifted
toward using touch-based screens. We now have access to touch-based TVs,
touch-based monitors, and touch-based laptops. Touch and multi-touch
devices provide end users with the ability to interact physically with
an application much more naturally. 

Imagine that you have
been assigned the task of redesigning your company’s applications to run
on all devices. Examine a multi-touch computer monitor and a
mouse-driven computer monitor and think about how the end user interacts
with an application running on each of these types of monitors. 

Write a four to five (4-5) page paper in which you:

1. Compare
   and contrast the metaphors used in the design of applications that run
   on each type of monitor. Use Microsoft Visio, Microsoft PowerPoint, or
   any other modeling tool to create. 
2. Differentiate between the interaction types and styles that apply to these monitors and applications running on them.
3. Describe
   the conceptual model employed in the design of these types. Describe
   the analogies and concepts these monitors expose to users, including the
   task-domain objects users manipulate on the screen.
4. Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note:
   Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources. You
   may use the resources above or others of your choosing.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be
  typed, double-spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with
  one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA
  or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional
  instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the
  assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title,
  and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in
  the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Describe the relationship between the cognitive principles and their application to interfaces and products.
• Explain the conceptual terms for analyzing human interaction with affordance, conceptual models, and feedback.
• Explain the importance of user abilities and characteristics in the usability of products.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in human-computer interaction.
• Write
  clearly and concisely about human-computer interaction topics using
  proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.