Effects of Grip Curvature and Hand Anthropometry for the Unimanual Operation of Touchscreen Handheld Devices

Abstract

This study evaluated the effect of hand anthropometry and screen curvatures of handheld devices on hand comfort during single-hand touchscreen operations. By employing both subjective ratings and electromyography methods, the comfort level was measured using three mock-up devices with different curvatures; one was flat and the others had curvatures of 400 R and 100 R. The participants were classified by sizes and shapes of their preferred hand based on factor analysis results. In this study, 26 adults in their 20s and 30s participated in the experiment of tapping and dragging tasks with the mock-ups. The results indicated that the curvatures of the handheld touchscreen devices did not affect muscle activity but perceived comfort. On the other way around, size and shape of hand were found as the factors to affect muscle activities but not perceived comfort. The interaction effects between size and shape of hand were found as well. Overall, this study suggests that curvature and anthropometric characteristics of hand is the common factor in determining comfort for the handheld device design. C 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The associations of mobile touch screen device use with musculoskeletal symptoms and exposures: A systematic review

“…This has been reported before in studies showing altered motor control and muscle activation (during non-MTSD tasks) among people with neck pain [ 78 – 80 ]. Different hand sizes and shapes may also influence musculoskeletal symptoms or exposures at the distal upper extremity, as one study indicated their significant effect on muscle activity of the fingers and thumb during MTSD use [ 36 ].…”

Hand Anthropometric Data for Saudi Arabia Engineering Students of Aged 20-26 Years at King Khalid University

“…They compared hand length, hand width and both measurements with other populations such as those of Western Europe, West India, India (Punjab), Hong Kong China, the UK, Japan, Africa/Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sweden and Egypt. Ahn et al (2016) studied the effect of grip curvature and hand anthropometry for the unimanual operation of touch screen handheld devices. Irwin and Radwin (2008) estimated the internal biomechanical loads of the hand from external loads and finger lengths that were themselves estimated from measured hand length and breadth.…”

Determining Ergonomic Smartphone Forms With High Grip Comfort and Attractive Design

“…By the knowledge of these authors, no validated objective measurement for grip comfort has been reported in relevant literature. Neither Ahn, Kwon, Bahn, Yun, and Yu (2016) nor Lee et al (2016) discovered significant associations between muscle activities and perceived discomfort, indicating muscle activities are insufficient for explaining physical discomfort. It is thus worthwhile to discover new objective measurements capable of effectively explaining grip comfort.…”