A new post on the building Windows 8 blog details the requirements for touch-enabled Windows 8 devices and explains why limitations on many current Windows 7-based touch systems have forced the company to rethink the Windows touch language.
Microsoft continues to dole out an abundance of information related to the company’s upcoming OS on the Building Windows 8 blog. In the latest post, Jerry Koh, Group Program Manager, and Jeff Piira, Test Manager, Human Interaction Platform team, dive deep into Windows 8’s touch requirements and user-experience goals. They also use the post to explain how accommodating some current touch-enabled Windows 7-based devices presents a challenge.At the //build/ conference last year, Microsoft introduced a set of touch interactions that comprise the Windows 8 touch language. From the post, “The touch language allows us to design a base user experience that is optimized for touch and works well on every PC, whether it was built originally for Windows 7 or for Windows 8. The fundamental gestures require no more than 2 fingers. However it is important to note that 2 fingers can be very limiting for a variety of applications. This is why Windows 8 PCs require digitizers that support a minimum of 5 fingers.”There is a video posted in the blog that shows how limiting 2-finger (or 2-touch point) input can be for end users. But Jerry and Jeff take things a step further and expose many of the other limitations of current Windows 7-based touch-enabled devices. The main factors that detract from the user experience on many current devices, over and above the 2-touch point limitation, are laggy touch response, inaccurate finger tracking, and poorly designed touch screens. Touch screens with bezels that make it difficult to touch the edge of the actual screen are specifically called out.
Windows 8 Touch Gestures. Image Source: Microsoft
In addition to marring the user experience, though, these limitations can render some of Windows 8’s UI features somewhat unusable. “New UI concepts in Windows 8 also impact touch hardware design. This is another area where Windows 8 PCs will be more capable than existing Windows 7 PCs. For example, the edge swipe required to reveal the charms and app bars fundamentally changes all the assumptions made on touch hardware. Traditionally, the edges of the screen are where touch sensitivity drops off, and it’s a place that hardware manufacturers have traditionally not placed much emphasis on. The center of the screen received all the innovation, while the edges have suffered. If you have seen or experienced the Windows 8 user experience, the edge swipe is a critical part of using Windows.” As shown in the post, Touch screens with bezels make performing an edge swipe almost impossible.Windows-based touch-enabled devices have almost universally panned. Windows 7 (and previous versions of Windows) and its applications are simply not designed well for touch interaction. The research Microsoft has done with Windows 8, however, and the specifications / requirements set by Microsoft for touch-enabled hardware manufacturers should change that perception. Although when used on current touch hardware, the Windows 8 Consumer Preview still leaves something to be desired, the requirements for next-gen Windows 8-based systems should address many, if not all, of the current limitations and ultimately enhance the user experience.
