Category: Solving the Problem/Exploration (Research)
Finger tendon gliding exercises are used in physiotherapy to rehabilitate an injured ligaments, muscles or tendons in the hand or wrist. These exercises include transitioning your hand between specific hand positions including the:
relaxed, straight, duck, hook, flat fist, and full fist, and tabletop positions.
This is important because all of these positions are used by physiotherapists because they activate the hand tendons and require a level of strength from your forearm muscles to be able to do these movements properly.
These positions require effort to hold therefore these are great for training your hand back into working condition, but I should stay away from designing any concept or form that requires the user to make any of these positions.
SOURCES
S. (2015, July 29). Tendon Gliding – Southlake Hand Therapy. Retrieved November 27, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUhjUBAQv30
Air hockey uses air to blow up through the table via tiny holes to allow the puck to glide easier across the table simulating ice.
what if this was used in the mouse itself to allow a more free and loose movement experience
track pads are actually a very interesting concept and have much promise. They allow you to move the cursor with something very low profile, and most newer versions allows users to left and right click simply by tapping the pad rather than pressing an actual button (would require more force). The issue is that users need to put their hand and fingers into tabletop, or hook type of position for use; and as I found in this article here, those positions are to be avoided.
[Insight: what if there was a way of using track pad technology in a design that allowed users’ hands to be in a neutral position. What if we could use a track pad by moving our entire hand rather than isolating a couple fingers (as found here, isolating fingers can also lead to fatigue).
Overall insights
-Kensinton track ball uses RED OPTICS for cursor accuracy.
-Bluetooth connectivity is a valuable option to have.
[side note: having built in bluetooth electronics rather than having a wireless receiver style connection will increase durability of product (wireless receivers tend to wear or break faster then the mouse itself). however it seems that bluetooth connectivity has feasibility issues like speed and usability.
-left handed people can only use trackball mice the have the ball in the center (Logitech MX Ergo is only for right handed users.
-some come with detachable wrist rests for added comfort
-having vertical scroll wheel action (both horizontal and vertical scrolling if possible) is a feature that users want in a mouse regardless of shape or form.
-tactile response seems to be key for enjoyability of use.
Sources
T. (2020, September 17). Best Trackball Mouse for Gaming and Editing – 2020 Budget & PC & MAC. Retrieved November 25, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJC9dpdsxSo
M. (2016, September 11). Kensington Wireless Trackball Review. Retrieved November 25, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9QxYYGPhjA