Report finds opinions divided on touchcreen UIs

Richard Goodwin

There has always been a question mark over how well touchscreens would work among an SMS-centric audience

Two independent reports show that while smartphone device sales are on the rise, opinion is still divided over the actual functionality of their touchscreen UIs.

Market research conducted by ComScore has found that touchscreen mobile phones are experiencing a massive rise in popularity, growing by 159% between August 2008 and August 2009. However, an additional study by Canlys of 3000 touchscreen users found that more than half were dissatisfied with the new user interface.

It is impossible to doubt the rise of the touchscreen device, ComScore’s findings indicate that the iPhone has 32.9% of the US market alone, with LG, Palm, and BlackBerry making up the rest.

In addition, Canalys’ research found that of the 3000 surveyed 38% would prefer a touchscreen UI on their next device, while a further 16% opted for a stylus-based interface, which certainly adheres to ComScore’s assertions.

However, the Canalys report also revealed that only 47% of current touchscreen users said they would choose the same type of UI on their next model.

“It is apparent that, with experience, a significant proportion of users have not been totally won over by some of these devices. This is to be expected, as it is quite a big shift for many users to make, but a poor experience with one touchscreen device may dissuade users from trying another one in the future and it is imperative that vendors focus on usability and practicality as well as visual appeal, and continue to enhance their interfaces, said Pete Cunningham, senior analyst at Canalys.

According to ComScore, the majority of touch-screen users are under the age of 35, highlighting the possibility that many older users aren’t entirely comfortable with the new touchscreen paradigm.

“There has always been a question mark over how well touchscreens would work among an SMS-centric audience and the results indicate the transition has not been totally smooth,” said Cunningham.

The Canalys report also revealed that the majority of HTC and Apple users were happy with both their devices and its touch-screen UI.

However, only 29% of Sony Ericsson users said they would stick with their current touch screen UI.