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I am looking for something with physical buttons. Watching her interact with touch screens is painful. Still, well worth a look.

by tocs3 2y ago

qup 2y ago
Watching my dad is painful as well, compared to a peer, but overall he is able to do what he needs. Might just be your own discomfort. But, kudos to looking out for her. I'm thinking a lot about how to put a useful LLM-with-voice-commands in front of my Dad for at least a few of the things he fumbles with.
- tocs3 2y ago
  Thank you. It can be tough looking out for others. When I win the lottery I am going to hire some advanced "Makers" to come out and make all the things I think are missing in the world. There are, from what I see, a lot of niche areas that are woefully under served.
al_borland 2y ago
Is that due to the touch screen or the interface? I’d be interested to see someone who normally has issues getting around on a touch screen trying assistive touch to see if the simplified UI with fewer controls helps. For me, I thought the original iPhone was easier to navigate than any previous phone, or electronic device with buttons, I had ever used. While I like buttons and tactile controls, doing things in software allowed everything to be obvious. I don’t know anyone who fully used the contacts function on old phones, and speed dial required remembering which number was assigned to which person. With the iPhone the favorites had names on them, there was nothing to remember. Controls were also direct and purpose built, not abstractions assigned to unchanging buttons. That said, over the years the OS has become more complex and harder to manage. The UI also got harder to use when skeuomorphism was dropped, imo. I’d like to think Assistive Touch addresses some, but not all, of this. I’ve actually thought about turning it on for myself just to simplify the experience, but I’m guessing I’d probably need to revert back to the full UI too often.
- tocs3 2y ago
  I think mostly the touch screen. Most devices I have seen or used (and those my mother has tried) need a fairly bulky case so fingers do not interfere with the screen around the edge (maybe software fixes already available). Holding the phone too gingerly for fear of breaking it also leads to drops. She is someone that payed $2-$3k for a brand new car. Fine motor control is also an issue. Her fingers skip across the screen. Buttons on a flat screen seem to be conceptually troubling. The flip phone she uses now is ok but there are way to many options. It is to easy to select them. She does well with the contact list except she did manage to block me the other day (a nice but extra option). I am planning on going to a store and get her to try an iPhone and assistive touch but we are in a rural area so trips to such places don't happen a lot. I will be watching for someone with an iPhone (is touch assistant a setting or an app?).
  - al_borland 2y ago
    The motor control issues make a lot of sense. Assistive Access is a setting in the OS. It’s under Settings > Accessibility > Assistive Access (under the General heading near the bottom) There is a setup process for it, it’s not just a simple toggle. Then there are settings for which apps to allow, and various things to enable/disable.

I am looking for something with physical buttons. Watching her interact with touch screens is painful. Still, well worth a look.

by tocs3 2y ago

I am looking for something with physical buttons. Watching her interact with touch screens is painful. Still, well worth a look.

qup 2y ago

Watching my dad is painful as well, compared to a peer, but overall he is able to do what he needs. Might just be your own discomfort. But, kudos to looking out for her. I'm thinking a lot about how to put a useful LLM-with-voice-commands in front of my Dad for at least a few of the things he fumbles with.

tocs3 2y ago
Thank you. It can be tough looking out for others. When I win the lottery I am going to hire some advanced "Makers" to come out and make all the things I think are missing in the world. There are, from what I see, a lot of niche areas that are woefully under served.

al_borland 2y ago

Is that due to the touch screen or the interface? I’d be interested to see someone who normally has issues getting around on a touch screen trying assistive touch to see if the simplified UI with fewer controls helps. For me, I thought the original iPhone was easier to navigate than any previous phone, or electronic device with buttons, I had ever used. While I like buttons and tactile controls, doing things in software allowed everything to be obvious. I don’t know anyone who fully used the contacts function on old phones, and speed dial required remembering which number was assigned to which person. With the iPhone the favorites had names on them, there was nothing to remember. Controls were also direct and purpose built, not abstractions assigned to unchanging buttons. That said, over the years the OS has become more complex and harder to manage. The UI also got harder to use when skeuomorphism was dropped, imo. I’d like to think Assistive Touch addresses some, but not all, of this. I’ve actually thought about turning it on for myself just to simplify the experience, but I’m guessing I’d probably need to revert back to the full UI too often.

tocs3 2y ago
I think mostly the touch screen. Most devices I have seen or used (and those my mother has tried) need a fairly bulky case so fingers do not interfere with the screen around the edge (maybe software fixes already available). Holding the phone too gingerly for fear of breaking it also leads to drops. She is someone that payed $2-$3k for a brand new car. Fine motor control is also an issue. Her fingers skip across the screen. Buttons on a flat screen seem to be conceptually troubling. The flip phone she uses now is ok but there are way to many options. It is to easy to select them. She does well with the contact list except she did manage to block me the other day (a nice but extra option). I am planning on going to a store and get her to try an iPhone and assistive touch but we are in a rural area so trips to such places don't happen a lot. I will be watching for someone with an iPhone (is touch assistant a setting or an app?).
- al_borland 2y ago
  The motor control issues make a lot of sense. Assistive Access is a setting in the OS. It’s under Settings > Accessibility > Assistive Access (under the General heading near the bottom) There is a setup process for it, it’s not just a simple toggle. Then there are settings for which apps to allow, and various things to enable/disable.