Stefanie Stephens

LIS 620
Spring 2015
Experiential Learning Project

Introduction:
For this research project my patron was my friend, Chad. At the time of our
initial interview Chad was just beginning a new job that would require him to tackle
projects that he had no direct prior experience with. Chad is a computer programmer
with more than a decade of experience in the field but his new position involves also
creating apps for mobile devices. We spent a fair amount of time discussing what about
this task he felt he needed more information on. We talked about all the aspects of
creating an app. It is a much more layered and detailed topic than I had ever imagined.
When creating an app a programmer must know what operating system they are
working with, what programming language is best for the application, what types of
devices it may be used with (e.g., phones, tablets), and differences in hardware. Chad
realized that he either already knew, or could figure out on his own, what programming
language would be best for different apps and he has experience working with all
different types of operating systems and so he didnt need to research anything about
those topics. Once we excluded those potential areas of research we were left with only
the different types of devices he could potentially be creating applications for and
differences in hardware. As part of the interview process, we continued to discuss those
topics in depth. Chad and I both realized that devices change constantly with each cell

phone and tablet manufacturer releasing new versions of their devices on a schedule of
almost one per year for some of the top brands while, at the same time, many
consumers have a tendency to steadfastly refuse to upgrade and hold on to outdated,
and frequently unsupported, devices for years. Doing research on different types of
devices began to seem pointless to both of us during this portion of the interview, there
are too many brands and constantly changing variables to learn them all and, as Chad
stated, this actually seems to be something I will pick up on as I go. After we
eliminated device types as a potential avenue for additional research, we saw that the
area he most needed more background knowledge in was the differences in hardware
used to manufacture the different types and brands of devices.
There are numerous components that make up mobile devices. The materials
used for the body of the device can make a difference in its functionality. The number,
placement, and assigned function of the buttons on a device also play a role in how the
device works in relation to the apps being used. Internal hardware, such as the
motherboard and processors, determine how much data can be stored on the phone,
how quickly it can respond to commands, and how accurate those responses are. Sim
cards are also part of the hardware but, depending on the device, its purpose and its
age, and in some cases the cellular phone carrier network that provides service, they
are used for different things. Some older devices do not have a sim card at all. Some
cellular service providers use sim cards to store data about only that specific device
while others also use it to store contacts and other important data that may affect how
an app functions. While abstracted by the operating system, screens are another piece

of a devices hardware that can potentially impact how an app functions and, therefore,
how its code has to be written.
We came up with this list of hardware components in order to eliminate the ones
that Chad already had an adequate working knowledge of and the ones that, ultimately,
would not be a concern in his future work as they were variables that could not be
controlled for when writing code. After this process of elimination Chad decided that he,
more than anything else, needed a better understanding of the screens on the devices
he would be programming for. The type of programming he has done in the past did
not require an understanding of the screens his programs would be displayed on and,
with mobile devices using touchscreens for the majority of their functionality; he felt
that was an additional barrier to his success in creating mobile applications.
With our primary topic finally decided on I asked a few more follow-up questions
to make sure I fully understood in what direction my research should begin. I wanted to
know more about the specific apps that his new company makes, what their purposes
are and how they are expected to be used. Chad informed me that the company mainly
makes apps that can be used to track a persons progress in training for specific sports
with functions that include comparing times and scores from past performances and
watching training videos. Im glad I asked for this particular clarification as the app that
he will be assigned to is for soccer training and it includes another feature the others
dont have, a soccer game that helps the user learn probable outcomes to various
approaches to the goal. For the game to function properly Chad will absolutely need to
understand how sensitive and accurate the different types of touchscreens are. Armed

with this information I set my research goals to be finding out more about
touchscreens- how they work, how they compare to each other, and why one may be
preferred over another.
Research:
I began my research with a very general search on touchscreens. I realized
that I knew very little on the topic myself and, despite the thorough interview with my
patron, was not sure what my best approach would be in regards to more specific
search terms. A little background information was necessary for me to know where to
look to find appropriate resources. I did this search just using Google with the intention
of finding a little guidance for myself and no expectations of finding anything of
particular use for my patron. I quickly learned that there are two different main types of
touchscreens, capacitive and resistive, and that information was exactly what I needed
to begin my research in earnest. To my surprise, I also found several articles from
subject specific, popular publications that I realized may actually be very helpful for my
patron as they gave a not-too-technical overview of touchscreens that I thought may
serve as an introduction to the topic. So, while I continued my research using my
newfound knowledge of the two types of touchscreens, I forwarded links to some of
those articles to Chad for his perusal.
As I read through the articles I was finding I realized something else I had not
thought of initially. Touchscreen technology (and mobile device technology in general)
is rapidly changing and growing, often in ways that were not predicted by industry

insiders, and that means articles about the subject can quickly become outdated and
obsolete. After I realized this I decided to limit my searches to articles that were
published within the last six or seven years, none older than 2008 when the first multitouch touchscreen was released. I chose that as the cutoff because I see the line
between single touch and multi-touch as the line between the previous era and the
current era of mobile technology. Although I did chose to break this rule in a couple
instances because the article, despite being outside my preferred date range, was still
relevant as background information.
After I felt I had learned enough on the topic of touchscreens myself to be able
to search for articles in an intelligent manner, I moved on from general internet
resources and search engines to the databases I have access to as a student at UNCG.
I chose again to start out simply with my search just to see what types of results I
would get and where I would need to refine my search. Using WorldCat I searched
using just the term touchscreens. That search generated many results, the majority of
which were not useful in any way. I scrolled through the first several pages though, just
in case, and eventually found several articles and book chapters that seemed promising
from their abstracts. It turned out that only two of those results were both what I was
looking for and available for me to access. I moved on to searching more subject
specific databases. I did this by searching through the databases by title, looking for
any that were focused on computers or technology. I chose ProQuest Computing but as
I worked to refine my search parameters I noticed a sidebar menu that allowed me to
expand my search to include other, related databases at the same time. I chose the

Science and Technology template. I limited my search again to include only articles
published no earlier than 2008 and specified that I wanted only articles, books, and
book chapters. I did this search twice, first with the term capacitive touchscreen and
again using resistive touchscreen as those are the two main types of touchscreen
used in the mobile device industry. These searches were by far the most productive of
all that I did.
Conclusion:
The initial topic brought to me by the patron was very broad and there were
many avenues for potential research. After discussing those avenues with my patron,
Chad, I was able to ascertain exactly what aspect of the topic was most important for
him to learn more about. Having done such a thorough interview turned out to be a
boon to my research. I was able to quickly find pertinent information to share with my
patron and, after he read through it, use his thoughts on those articles to refine my
search again. In the end I was able to find more than enough information from a
variety of sources to make my patron feel more confident in his knowledge and abilities
as he began his new job.
I created a satisfaction survey for my patron to fill out after I had given him the
results of my research. The survey can be found at this url:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9B6P6CN. It was a three question survey that asked
the patron to rate various things on a four point scale. I also included a space on the
last page for any additional comments in case the patron wanted to add anything that

was not addressed in the rest of the survey. The first question asked How would you
rate the helpfulness of the search results and resources provided to you? and the
answer was extremely helpful, exactly what Id hoped for. The second question was
How would you rate your experience with the service you received? and the response
given was excellent. The last question asked If you needed assistance with a
research question in the future, how likely are you to use this service again? and my
patron answered very likely. He did choose to provide an additional comment on the
last page of the survey and it was I consider myself to be an expert at using Google. I
searched on my own trying to find information but I didn't find anything like what Stef
did. I am very impressed. I think based on the results of the satisfaction survey the
project was successful.
Bibliography:
1. Poor, A. (October 17, 2012). How it works: The technology of touchscreens.

Computerworld. Retrieved from

http://www.computerworld.com/article/2491831/computer-hardware/how-itworks--the-technology-of-touch-screens.html
This article is from the website of a popular magazine (as opposed to a scholarly
journal) that focuses on issues in computers and technology. It gives a thorough look at
the two main types of touchscreens, the pros and cons of each type, and how they are
put together. There are also several helpful diagrams. The article gives opinions on the
future of touchscreens and talks about the most appropriate uses for each.

2. (September 4, 2008). Touching the future. The Economist. Retrieved from

http://www.economist.com/node/11999181
This article predates the release of the first multi-touch touchscreen phone by a little
over a month (LG Prada II, released October 13, 2008) which puts it outside the date
range I decided would provide the best information for my patron. I choose to include it
anyway though because it was a very informative article that went in depth in its
discussion between the two main types of touchscreens. Many tablets still use a single
touch touchscreen as they are a type of device that are replaced less frequently than
cell phones so the information contained in the article is still relevant to a certain
degree.
3. Ion F. (April 4, 2013). From touch displays to the Surface: A brief history of
touchscreen technology. Ars Technica. Retrieved from
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/04/04/from-touch-displays-to-the-surfacea-brief-history-of-touchscreen-technology/
This article gives a fascinating and thorough history of the touchscreen reaching as far
back as the 1960s and following through to when it was published in 2013. It offers
insight into the scientists and discoveries that lead to the technology as we use it today.
The article covers almost all of the different versions of touchscreen devices that have
existed in the last 50 years.
4. http://www.elotouch.com/

This is not an article but rather an entire website on the topic of touchscreens. It is the
official site of Elo Touch Solutions which is one of the first companies involved in the
production of touchscreen technology. I would normally eschew that type of site for
research purposes for fear of the information being biased but bias or no it contains
quite a bit of relevant information including tables that offer side-by-side comparisons
of all different types of touchscreen technology (not just the main two) with their most
appropriate uses.
5. The Curious Engineer. (December 20, 2013). How Touchscreen Works [Remake].
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyCE2h_yjxI
In the first search that I did for my own education I saw several videos in the results.
Most of the ones I watched were either difficult to understand or too vague in the
information they contained. But this one was clear while still being fast paced and
contained details I had not seen in other sources yet. I forwarded the link to Chad and
he too found it to be particularly helpful. The moving diagrams helped clear up a couple
finer points that he had also missed in the written resources I gave him.
6. (n.d.) The 5 Types Of Touch Screen Technology. Which One Is Best For You?
Retrieved from http://www.truvumonitors.com/images/Touch_Screen_Basics.Comparisons.pdf
Again this document is from a company that produces touchscreens but I chose to use
it as a resource for my patron because the information it contains is varied and useful
and presented in a way that can be easily referenced.

7. Ockenden, P. (April 16, 2010). Capacitive or resistive: whats the best type of
touchscreen? PC Pro. Retrieved from
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/realworld/357325/capacitive-or-resistive-whats-the-besttype-of-touchscreen
This article rehashes much of the same information from my other sources but it does
so in more of a conversational format. I chose to include it largely for this reason. While
most of the information is not new it is presented alongside the impressions and
opinions of a professional expert in the field of computing and technology. Oftentimes it
can be helpful to know how a product is perceived by the public when learning or
forming an opinion of your own.
8. Bhalla, A.V. & Bhalla, M.R. (2010). Comparative Study of Various Touchscreen
Technologies. International Journal of Computer Applications, 6(8), 12-18.
All of the previous resources (numbers 1-7) were sent to my patron in a first wave of
less technical information that was intended to help familiarize him with the basics of
the topic before providing him with the more technical information I was then searching
for. This article was the first of the scholarly articles I gave him. It covers the same
information that the previous articles did but with considerably more detail and scientific
jargon. While it was completely over my head I have been assured that it has proven to
be quite helpful to the patron.

9. Lei, P. I. S., & Wong, A. K. Y. (2009). The multiple-touch user interface

revolution. IT Professional Magazine, 11(1), 42-49.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/MITP.2009.19
This article focuses on multi-touch technology in touchscreens. It goes toward
answering one of my initial research questions of why one type of touchscreen may be
preferred over another by providing context for how designers and programmers should
approach mobile applications in regard to its GUI or graphical user interface.
10. Karlson, A. K., Bederson, B. B., & Contreras-Vidal, J. L. (January 01, 2008).
Understanding One-Handed Use of Mobile Devices.
I was unable to get my hands on a physical copy of the book this chapter is from before
the due date for the assignment but I do have a request in for an interlibrary loan. I
sent Chad the summary of the chapter and while it doesnt fit the initial guidelines we
were working with, he and I both believe it will prove useful to his work. It seems to
focus mainly on people using their mobile devices one-handed and how to keep the
ramifications of that type of use in mind when designing a device. Even though my
patrons work is exclusively centered on the software of a device he felt it was a good
idea to better understand how an end user interacts with the physical device in the real
world so he could keep those limitations in mind while designing an app.
11. Keeping, S. (2009). Capacitive touchscreens won't replace resistive. Electronics

News, Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com/docview/196318346?accountid=14604

This article was relatively short but it answers one of my research questions, why one
type of touchscreen may be preferred over another, in a considered and succinct
manner.
12. Johnson, R. C. (2009). Touchy subjects: Screens for portables. Electronic

Engineering Times, (1573), 36. Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com/docview/208071016?accountid=14604
This article is similar to the one above it in this list in that it is short and to the point but
it actually answers a different one of my initial research questions, how do the types of
touchscreens compare to each other. It approaches that answer in a way that touches
on the practicality of using devices with either type screen.
13. Hsu, A. (2010). New challenges in handheld touchscreens. Advanced

Imaging, 25(3), 16-18. Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com/docview/347523010?accountid=14604
This article talks about how software design for hand held mobile devices can and
should be influenced by the type of screen the device has. Chad enjoyed this article
quite a bit because it reinforced for him the belief he had that learning about the
differences in touchscreens was important for his work.
14. A touch of glass. (2010). Advanced Imaging, 25(3), 19-20. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/347557385?accountid=14604

While this article, for the most part, just reiterates what many of the other resources I
found point out, I included it in my list of resources for my patron because of a few
comparisons it makes to other technologies. I was happy to learn that Chad noticed and
appreciated the same aspects of the article that caused me to include it. Specifically we
both appreciated the comparison of touchscreens to the trackpad on a laptop. As Chad
said, it made me think of the way touchscreens work in a way I hadnt considered.
15. Hoye, T., & Kozak, J. (April 10, 2010). Touchscreens: A pressing technology.
Paper presented at Tenth Annual Freshman Conference, Pittsburgh. Retrieved
from http://136.142.82.187/eng12/history/2010/pdf/1118.pdf
This paper covers much of the same information on the basics of touchscreen
technology but then it goes much deeper into the science of how it all works. The most
important part of the paper to my research topic though was the section devoted
specifically to the pros and cons of each type of screen.
16. Touch Technologies [White Paper]. Retrieved from
http://www.planar.com/media/111012/touch_technologies_white_paper.pdf
This resource is a graphic that clearly explains the differences between the various
types of touchscreen technology. I have included it because I think it will be a handy
reference for my patron when he is thinking about how to design an app while keeping
the limitations of the device in mind.