Multi-Touch Screens vs. Mouse-Driven Screens

Multi-Touch Screens vs. Mouse-Driven Screens

CIS 375

Technology is constantly changing and with each change comes how we interact with these changes. Our society has been moving to touch screen devices over the years for many different purposes and applications. We use cell phones, tablet, laptop screens are becoming touch screens and we’ve been replacing old cash registers with touch screen monitors or tablets to place orders now. We’re starting to see more self-checkouts with touchscreens and large monitors for customers to use to order food at a restaurant if they want to do that instead of ordering from the employee. I will be making an application for our restaurant that will work with all touch screen devices that will be simple for the consumer to use.

We have quickly moved from going to a restaurants website on our computer to look at their menu or to order food these days. On the computer you would use your mouse to scroll up or down the page and to move over options and click on what you want to order or look at. With a laptop you usually use a trackpad and move your mouse cursor to what you want to click on. With a touch screen device, you use your finger to scroll through and to click on whatever you want, which I find lately to be quicker and easier now see we can instantly click on the things we want with our finger instead of having to move a mouse to it. Nicole Pontius (Apr 7, 2017) “Touch screen devices quickly have become the standard as consumers expect to be able to interact with everything from mobile devices to their automobiles with the touch of a finger.” (pg.1) Touch screen devices have become our normal now and I feel like we will continue to replace many different things with touch screen devices and an application that can do what the object before it could do. We may soon see touch screen devices in all chain or fast food restaurants to order your food.

When designing the UI and overall layout of the application, I will go for a simple and minimal design. Nicole Pontius (Apr 7, 2017) “Whether designing a mobile device or other small product with a touch screen, product designers and user interface engineers must keep consumers needs and preferences in mind.” (pg.1) I think a one page with a few tabs to click on that will take to the next page is simple and easy to use. The header will be the restaurants logo with the menu tabs below that, a cart menu on the upper right side of the screen and the restaurant’s specials below the menu tabs. There will be tab for customers to choose if they want a hamburger meal, clicking it will drop down a list of hamburger meals, this will be the same for a tab that has chicken meals and fish meals. Then I will have a tab for side items and beverages if the customer wants a side item or drink with their order. In the cart tab, the customer will see their order, and, in the cart, it will have the option to leave a note in case they don’t want something like onions on their meal or what sauce they might want. The application will also have a mobile version where the customer will be able to place mobile orders from home and come pick up their food. In the cart, it will have a place order option where on mobile you put your card information to pay and, in the restaurant, there will be a device to slide your card to pay.

Making the application simple and minimal, I’m hoping to cut down on any frustration that may occur while using the application to order food. Most people tend to get frustrated with an application if they can’t figure out how to use or navigate it, even if its their first time using it, people are not very patient, especially if they’re trying to order food. The tabs and options will be a good size so that customers won’t press a near by tab. Nicole Pontius (Apr 7, 2017) “Consumers quickly become frustrated when they cannot get a touchable element to respond to their touch because they inadvertently press two at one time or cannot get their finger positioned properly to press an element that is too small.” (pg.1) In restaurant, customers, who choose to use the touch screen to order, can walk up and hit the start option that will bring up the main page. There they will see the tabs and restaurant specials and they can begin with their order. Customers will have the option to add or delete an item off their order instead of having to clear it and start over, having to start over their entire order will make the customer frustrated, they’ll have the option to add or delete as well if they do a mobile order. After completing the order and paying for it, they will get a receipt with an order number and the customer will just have to wait for their food. If the customer decides to order with the employee, the employee will be using a tablet with the application open, all they will need to do is go through the options and choose what the customer is ordering. If a customer wants one of the special, they just choose the special, if they want a hamburger meal, they must choose the hamburger tab and choose what the customer is asking for. Once the customer is done, there will be a complete order and pay option for the employee, once they choose that, then the customer can pay for their meal, receive their receipt and wait for their food.

When building an application, the customer should be one of the main focuses. We can see many different applications that are used for ordering many different things, it’s the norm now. More restaurants are starting to use touch screen devices and mobile applications for ordering food now instead of ordering through the employee. Making the application with the customers in mind will make it more successful, if you can make it a pleasant experience, we will see devices for ordering our food a lot more and just like self-checkouts, it will begin to be the new normal.

References

Andy Dearden (2008) User-Centered Design Considered Harmful (with apologies to Edsger Dijkstra, Niklaus Wirth, and Don Norman) Retrieved from. https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/48573/User%20Centered%20Design%20Considered%20Harmful.pdf?sequence=1

Activity-Centered Design: Why I like my Harmony Remote Control. (November 17, 2008) Retrieved from. https://jnd.org/activity-centered_design_why_i_like_my_harmony_remote_control/

Nicole Pontius (April 7, 2017) How to Design an Effective Touch-Screen Interface. Retrieved from. https://www.pannam.com/blog/how-to-design-a-touch-screen-interface/