QWERTY texters demonstrated drop in efficiency when texting on iPhone

Related Services: Mobile Device Usability Testing

In late July, Chicago-based usability consultancy User Centric, Inc. tested the iPhone's touch keyboard in comparison with conventional QWERTY and numeric phone keyboards. In an earlier baseline study, User Centric had identified texting as potentially problematic for new iPhone customers. The goal of the current study was to determine how easy it was for conventional mobile phone users to text using the iPhone.

Participants Texted using Both Conventional Phones and iPhones
A total of 20 participants were brought in for one-on-one usability sessions with a moderator. All sent text messages at least 15 times per week. Ten of the participants owned a phone with a QWERTY keypad, and ten of the participants owned a phone with a numeric keypad. Those who owned a numeric keypad used the "multitap" method of entering text messages rather than predictive text. To multitap, a user must press a particular key on the numeric keypad multiple times to get the desired character to appear.

During each session, participants were required to use their own phones. In addition, they were provided with an iPhone for use during the study. None of the participants were iPhone owners, and all participants were compensated for their time.

Standardized Messages Were Provided for Texting
Every participant entered six messages using their own phone and six messages on the iPhone. In their sessions, participants were asked to copy 12 standard messages created for this study. Each message was between 104-106 characters in length (including spaces). Six of the messages each contained 8-10 instances of proper capitalization and punctuation, while the remaining six messages contained no capitalization or punctuation but had some abbreviations. Message configuration and phone order were counterbalanced across participants.

Participants Were Novice iPhone Users
We were aware that participants' prior familiarity with their own phones meant that there would likely be a learning curve associated with text messaging on the iPhone. (None of the participants had used an iPhone prior to the study). Although participants were given one minute to familiarize themselves with the iPhone's touch keyboard, their texting abilities on the iPhone were still at the novice level. Throughout the study, we did notice limited improvements in keyboard comfort as users progressed through the tasks on the iPhone. Overall, the findings in the study can be taken as a good representation of what iPhone text messaging is like for a customer who has just bought an iPhone and is using it for the first time.

"It's important to consider the changes a person has to make when they switch to the iPhone," said Gavin Lew, Managing Director at User Centric. "It should be easy for people to do common tasks, such as text messaging, using the iPhone's less traditional touch interface."

Texting on iPhone Took Twice as Long as Texting on QWERTY Phones
In general, participants took longer to enter text messages on the iPhone than on their own phone. Despite the keyboard similarities, QWERTY phone users took nearly twice as long to enter comparable messages on the iPhone compared to their own phone. On the other hand, multitappers did not experience a significant difference in the time it took them to type messages on the iPhone. (Multitap text entry usually takes about 2 times as long as QWERTY text entry). Participants also made more typing errors on the iPhone. This phenomenon was expected since users had much more experience with their own phones.

Detailed Observations of User Text Entry on the iPhone

Ergonomic Issues

Most participants felt that their fingertips were too large for the iPhone's touch keyboard.

Most QWERTY phone users initially used the iPhone by holding it with both hands and typing with their two thumbs. However, by the end of the session, most had decided that it was easier for them to use one index finger to type.

Over half of the participants stated that they would have preferred the feel of an actual key to the iPhone's touch keypad.

Most participants noticed that there was no tactile feedback on the iPhone keypad.

Some mentioned that the feel of the key on conventional phones helps them locate the desired key without having to focus on the actual keypad.

General Interface Issues

Participants expressed a great deal of frustration with the sensitivity of the iPhone touch keypad.

Participants made an average of 11 errors per message on the iPhone compared to an average of 3 errors per text message on their own phone. Although the error rate was alleviated somewhat by the iPhone's self-correction feature, participants were still frustrated.

In particular, participants struggled when they were trying to type using the Q & W keys or the O & P keys on the iPhone.

5 out of 20 participants asked if the iPhone came with a stylus. They indicated that they could be more accurate with the stylus rather than their fingers due to the sensitivity of the screen.

One female participant tried to interact with the iPhone keypad using her fingernail and was unsuccessful.

The space bar, return, and backspace keys presented issues for many participants because these keys were spaced so closely to each other.

No one discovered the drag and lift feature of the keyboard, which reduces errors.

Many participants said they could not see themselves attempting text entry on the iPhone in distracting conditions.

Specifically, participants did not think they could text message on the iPhone safely while driving.

Predictive & Corrective Text Issues

Only a few participants discovered and correctly learned to use the predictive and/or corrective text features on the iPhone. QWERTY phone users in particular had a tendency to backspace when they were correcting mistakes.

Participants did not understand how the predictive / corrective text bubbles worked.

6 out of 20 participants tried to touch the bubble to get the word in the text bubble to appear.

Three participants tried hitting the backspace key because they associated the 'x' on it with the 'x' in the bubble.

It was especially frustrating for participants when they attempted to place the cursor in the middle of a word.

None of the participants discovered the magnifying glass feature while text messaging.

During a follow-up task that involved correcting a note in the iPhone's Notes application, 6 out of 20 did discover the magnifying glass feature. However, not all participants realized that the feature helps place the cursor in addition to enlarging the text.

Real World Implications
Based on our study's findings, it appears that QWERTY phone users are likely to suffer some initial decrease in efficiency when switching to the iPhone touch keyboard. However, multitap texters may see an eventual increase in text entry efficiency when switching to the iPhone.

Our study indicates that both QWERTY and multi-tap users are likely to have some level of initial frustration with the iPhone's touch keyboard and corrective text features. Although our analysis suggests that both types will eventually adapt to the iPhone's features, the learning curve for texting on iPhones will be steeper for QWERTY phone users than multi-tappers.

All Articles on this Study:

• Early Adopter iPhone User Study Identifies Baseline Issues with iPhone Interface
• QWERTY texters demonstrated drop in efficiency when texting on iPhone
• iPhone Research FAQ
• Gavin Lew interviewed by Rob Walch, host of Today in iPhone
• Direct comparison of iPhone and hard-key QWERTY phone owners indicates higher text entry error rate for iPhones
• FAQ for iPhone Study #3
• Related Services: Mobile Device Usability Testing

About User Centric, Inc.

User Centric is a global consulting firm that focuses on improving user experience. We apply our expertise to projects involving handhelds, web sites, software, medical devices, print, packaging, and telephony services. Experience, quality, value, global reach and outstanding client services set us apart. Our services include user research, user interface design consulting, information architecture, usability testing, user interface evaluations, eye tracking, and online surveys. Learn more about us at www.UserCentric.com.