Common Interactions with Tangible Controls
Some brief reviews of common interactions with tangible controls that I encounter on a daily basis:
Macbook Pro 2017 Force Touch Trackpad
I have been using this trackpad every single day for the past 3+ years, and embarrassingly had no idea (until very recently) that the “clicks” that I feel on the tip of my finger when pressing down are not actual up-down movements of the trackpad, but rather a pattern of super fast vibrations that mimics the downward motion of a trackpad. This is called a haptic feedback, which is generated by the Taptic Engine attached under the trackpad. The fact that I have used this trackpad daily and had no idea for years that the feeling of a click was artificial proves how awesome haptic feedback is! It allows for the trackpad to act as one big button rather than a pad that consists of left/right buttons, as they were before. I can click anywhere on the pad and get the sensation of a click. I can imagine if the creators never incorporated this haptic feedback feature into the experience, even if I could click anywhere, it would be confusing to use and rate very low in terms of user interaction satisfaction.
AirPods Pro Force Touch
My AirPods are another gadget that I use almost daily. Aside from taking them on and off my ears, the only other tangible interaction I have with them is pressing on the side of the handle to enable and disable noise cancellation. There is no physical feedback from this interaction, but rather a sound to indicate that the state has changed. I think it would be nice to have a little buzz as physical feedback, but as each AirPod is so small, I would imagine it’s hard to fit a vibrating motor in there. The audio feedback is a viable solution.
I also like the little dip in the handle, which acts as an indicator that I should put my finger there for something.
Water Dispenser
Thailand’s tap water is not safe for drinking, so most people either have a water filter or a water dispenser. I use my water dispenser everyday by pushing the lever on either the cold or hot side to fill my cup with water. I often push the lever with my cup for ease of use; the lever itself is curve-shaped to nicely fit the curve of a cup. This interaction detail is important especially for hot water, as it would be very dangerous to use my finger to push the lever that is directly under the water dispensing hole. I believe when pushed, the lever physically releases water into the funnel, down to my cup. There are no physical feelings of clicks, or any sounds, but the most obvious feedback to this interaction is the stream of water.
Knobs Review
Decco Audio Amplifier Volume Control Knob
This knob is used for controlling the volume from this amplifier. The knob has a slight resistance when being turned, making the movement tight and sturdy rather than loose. The turn movement is smooth, and has no physical feedback aside from the slight resistance. This resistance works to keep the knob in place when I stop the turn, without needing to physically click into place. The knob has an indent as an indicator of the set position of the potentiometer. There are no other clear or exact indications, which allows for the volume setting to be free and dynamic.
Coffee Grinder Knobs
My coffee grinder has a knob in the front that controls how much coffee gets ground, measured servings. When the knob is turned, it feels like there are physical steps that the knob passing, creating tactile feedback at each step with slight clicking sounds. There is some resistance to the turn, but unlike the amplifier knob, the knob clicks into a specific location, determine by the step.
The coffee grinder has another knob on its side, to set the grind size (from fine to course). Though the amount of resistance on this knob is similar to the one in the front, the feedback it gives is very different. As I turn it, I can hear very loud clicks, and feel a lot of movement on the knob. I realize this is because the knob is physically changing the position of the grinding blades inside the coffee machine, similar to how a camera’s aperture blades change. The movement of these blades cause the knob to also vibrate, giving substantial physical feedback.