How touch glove and expertise influence the basic touch gestures performances for people with Systemic Sclerosis

Abstract

The technology has become a common part of our daily lives, and the integration of touchscreen technology into devices is quickly becoming equally common. In recent years, much research has been conducted on how people interact with handheld devices and on different types and uses of touchscreen technology, but there are few studies regarding people with severe problems of dexterity. For this reason, the present study aims to understand the effect of expertize with touchscreen on the performance of basic touch-gestures (i.e., tapping, dragging, pinching and spreading) in the case of people with Systemic Sclerosis. The performances of a total of twelve patients with SSc, six with and six without previous experience with touchscreen technology, were compared in the study. Recommendations based on the results of this study are proposed to improve the accessibility of touch-screen interfaces for these patients.