Guys,
While so much of the computer industry has changed faster than one could imagine, I think that one of the things that has for the most part stayed the same is the design of the mouse. While duel-click buttons and a flywheel have been added over time, this technology appears to have found a home with the one-click two click, move the mouse and you're there design.
Or has it? In my computer training for the past eight years, I have seen the same number of people (of all ages) starting out who have a terrible time in particular with double-clicking and getting the mouse to move to where they want it to go.
Personal story of my own. I have impared coordination on my right-side and can do very little manipulations with my right hand. I CAN use the keyboard very well with both hands, but I have been typing for 20 years, so it took a lot of time and practice. Anyway, when I was in college almost all of the computers had their mice set up on the table for a right-handed person. I would often have to cross over my left hand to get to the mouse, and sometimes would have trouble getting quickly to the right-hand side of the screen, and clicking fast if I had to move to that area, it was frustrating!
Now I have my computer at home and have no problems moving the mouse anywhere with my left hand. (The trackball and side black panels I know how to keep clean.) There is no jittery motion, and clicking works just fine.
But we have a right-handed user that, just like me in school has trouble from time to time using their right hand to get over to the far right side of the screen from time to time. They often have to move the mouse in a rotated position to get it to where they want it to go. That's exactly what I had to do in college. Than you'd look down and the Mousepad would be over on one side and the mouse itself on the other side. (or at least, off the pad.) What's funny is, as a lefty, I have never had any problems and if I do every 5 months or so I just clean it and it works great.
What do you think of the evolution of mice design? More importantly, do you believe that the elderly or people with coordination problems would have another option avaliable to them for their moving and clicking commands? If someone for example has a severe imparment in BOTH hands and can't manipulate the mouse for let's say playing a game where reflexes and coordination are required, what other options are avaliable to them?
It just seems that instead of people being forced to get used to a technology that some may not feel comfortable with, the issue is how to adapt or accomodate better mouse-design to make it easier for this technology to adapt to people.
Jack
While so much of the computer industry has changed faster than one could imagine, I think that one of the things that has for the most part stayed the same is the design of the mouse. While duel-click buttons and a flywheel have been added over time, this technology appears to have found a home with the one-click two click, move the mouse and you're there design.
Or has it? In my computer training for the past eight years, I have seen the same number of people (of all ages) starting out who have a terrible time in particular with double-clicking and getting the mouse to move to where they want it to go.
Personal story of my own. I have impared coordination on my right-side and can do very little manipulations with my right hand. I CAN use the keyboard very well with both hands, but I have been typing for 20 years, so it took a lot of time and practice. Anyway, when I was in college almost all of the computers had their mice set up on the table for a right-handed person. I would often have to cross over my left hand to get to the mouse, and sometimes would have trouble getting quickly to the right-hand side of the screen, and clicking fast if I had to move to that area, it was frustrating!
Now I have my computer at home and have no problems moving the mouse anywhere with my left hand. (The trackball and side black panels I know how to keep clean.) There is no jittery motion, and clicking works just fine.
But we have a right-handed user that, just like me in school has trouble from time to time using their right hand to get over to the far right side of the screen from time to time. They often have to move the mouse in a rotated position to get it to where they want it to go. That's exactly what I had to do in college. Than you'd look down and the Mousepad would be over on one side and the mouse itself on the other side. (or at least, off the pad.) What's funny is, as a lefty, I have never had any problems and if I do every 5 months or so I just clean it and it works great.
What do you think of the evolution of mice design? More importantly, do you believe that the elderly or people with coordination problems would have another option avaliable to them for their moving and clicking commands? If someone for example has a severe imparment in BOTH hands and can't manipulate the mouse for let's say playing a game where reflexes and coordination are required, what other options are avaliable to them?
It just seems that instead of people being forced to get used to a technology that some may not feel comfortable with, the issue is how to adapt or accomodate better mouse-design to make it easier for this technology to adapt to people.
Jack