Investigating how the hand interacts with different mobile phones

In this paper we investigate the physical interaction
between the hand and three types of mobile device
interaction: touchscreen, physical keyboard and stylus.
Through a controlled study using video observational
analysis, we observed firstly, how the participants
gripped the three devices and how these grips were
device dependent. Secondly we looked closely at these
grips to uncover how participants performed what we
call micro-movements to facilitate a greater range of
interaction, e.g. reaching across the keyboard. The
results extend current knowledge by comparing three
handheld device input methods and observing the
movements, which the hand makes in five grips. The
paper concludes by describing the development of a
conceptual design, proposed as a provocation for the
opening of dialogue on how we conceive hand usage
and how it might be optimized when designed for
mobile devices