Effect of touchscreen and input device softness on task performance and subjective evaluation

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between the softness of two mobile touchscreens and three direct input devices on user´s task performance and subjective evaluation for tapping tasks. In the within-subjects design, 44 participants were asked to perform tasks as quickly and accurately as possible across the six combinations. After completing tasks in each condition, they filled out a questionnaire to evaluate the perceived pleasantness and degree of elasticity. The result showed a main effect of different touchscreen types on the task performance and degree of elasticity while different input device types showed a main effect on all three dependent variables. An interaction effect of two independent variables on the degree of elasticity was found. Along with the result, the practical implications of these findings are also discussed.