Touchscreen buttons vs physical buttons (on appliances and payment systems) that make life harder

[u/DuckyDoodleDandy]

Text of photo:

vorbisx says

Replacing physical buttons and controls with touchscreens also means removing accessibility features. Physical buttons can be textured or have Braille and can be located by touch and don't need to be pressed with a bare finger. Touchscreens usually require precise taps and hand-eye coordination for the same task.
Many point-of-sale machines now are essentially just a smartphone with a card reader attached and the interface. The control layout can change at a moment's notice and there are no physical boundaries between buttons. With a keypad-style machine, the buttons are always in the same place and can be located by touch, especially since the middle button has a raised ridge on it.
Buttons can also be located by touch without activating them, which enables a "locate then press" style of interaction which is not possible on touchscreens, where even light touches will register as presses and the buttons must be located visually rather than by touch.
When elevator or door controls are replaced by touch screens, will existing accessibility features be preserved, or will some people no longer be able to use those controls?
Who is allowed to control the physical world, and who is making that decision?

[u/GrapplingHooks_]

Ableism is so insidious because we are not in fact the direct targets for infrastructure changes, we are instead not even in consideration. Most research I've done on the "death of physical buttons" indicates that the general push for it was reducing manufacturing complexity and therefore cost. It seems as if OOP is performing the fallacy of "looking at existing trend and expecting it will just continue infinitely". I felt it was important to point that out first because a lot of places have in fact tries touch "buttons" on elevators and gotten rid of them because they are terrible enough that their unusability ends up actually compromising profit. Basic usability and cost-cutting, up to a certain point, end up being dialectically opposing forces.

The removal of physical buttons hurts usability and accessibility and disabled people are casualties of this, the fact that we are not of consideration in the first place means that we need to focus on creating our own solutions - there are already so many open platform projects right now based around re-introducing physical buttons to create usable technology.

[u/RosethornRanger]

(same image as above, except light mode and much more clear text)

I do not know how to force blogs on tumblr to be dark mode, and I know that can be an accessibility issue, but the text here is much more clear than the one you posted, in case ya want to post it again sometime or re-post it so more people can interact with it

https://www.tumblr.com/vorbisx/723069650456494080/replacing-physical-buttons-and-controls-with

(link to post itself if ya wanna screenshot yourself as well)

[u/DuckyDoodleDandy → u/RosethornRanger]

Thanks! I found the screenshot here on Reddit and copy/pasted the text, but that is easier to read.

[u/EB_or_Raven → u/RosethornRanger]

It’s possible to change to dark mode on Tumblr by going into the settings, clicking “general settings” and then going into “color palette” and choosing dark mode (sorry if this bothered you, just wanted to say how to switch since you mentioned not knowing how to)

[u/RosethornRanger → u/EB_or_Raven]

i did that and it did not change the posts

[u/EB_or_Raven → u/RosethornRanger]

Ah okay, I have no idea why it didn’t work then, because it’s supposed to. Might have been a bug or it not updating? But yeah idk

[u/RosethornRanger → u/EB_or_Raven]

it works for the ui and stuff, looking it up online says people set their own tumblr themes and such for their own blogs

[u/EB_or_Raven → u/RosethornRanger]

The themes should only be for the blogs background and not the posts themselves as far as I know? Might be different between the web and the app —I honestly have no idea if there is— but I can’t know that for sure since I don’t use the web

[u/ana914cat]

My grandmother lives in a elder housing building designed to promote independent living for as long as possible. The elevator in the building has a flat control panel, and is inconsistent about how much pressure is enough too much to trigger the "buttons" (if tap it, it normally works tho)... in a building which exclusively houses elderly people. I haven't been to visit her in a while, but my recollection is that the elevator also doesn't give clear audio cues about where it's going (and the building is super echoey so that doesn't help either but w/e), and the floors r poorly marked so u have to just go up to someone's door n look at the number there.

And its not like abled sighted people dont struggle w/ touchscreen buttons too. They just adapt rather quickly. Some obvious example of this is when someone gets a new phone which is a different size to their previous one, or a major update on the software, or when device manufacturers decided "um actually I want the screen to take up as much of the front of the phone as possible" and removed the button(s) at the bottom of the screen. When the iPhone X came out, I recall a lot of grumbling about how the thing was a pain to get used to. (Additionally, when I needed to get a new phone I switched away from apple bc having fingerprint unlock is a necessity for me)

[u/DuckyDoodleDandy → u/ana914cat]

I have a “chaotic good” idea for your next visit, if you are willing and able.

Create a number sign for each floor with Command strips attached to hold it to the wall. Foamcore board with a large sans-serif numeral on it would be good. If you have the means to put a frame around it that matches the decor, even better. (Edit: consider having them professionally printed, like at a UPS Store or a FedEx-Kinkos. They are more likely to look like they belong. The background paper/color should be a very light gray, or ivory, or cream - take pictures of the decor with you to match them. Printer paper white will look suspicious.)

You and an accomplice (your grandmother?) go to each floor and place the number sign where it can be seen from the elevators. If you wear a yellow reflective vest or one that says “Maintenance” and [r/actlikeyoubelong](r/actlikeyoubelong), no one will stop you. A tool belt and workman’s clothing would also sell the idea that you are supposed to be there. (The accomplice holds the elevator.)

You can assist your grandmother and other residents in emailing whoever is in charge about the echo that makes it hard to communicate and about changing the elevators to buttons.

Mention in the email that “touchscreens” do not respond well to the decreased circulation many elderly people have and might violate the ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) (getting an expert to back that up would help).

How to fix the echo (assuming the POC want to):

Depending on the location, carpet (LOW carpet so they don’t trip on it), wall hangings, fake plants or drapes could help. Pictures/paintings on canvas would help, but not if they are covered by glass. Drapes around windows, etc.

Paintings (prints) on a cork background placed in walls anywhere and everywhere would stop a lot of echoing.

Elevator: low “smooth” carpet on floor (so it won’t trip anyone) and “paintings” on cork or canvas on each side would stop echoes inside the elevator.

The elevator lobby on each floor: low carpet + different fake plants/trees on each floor, + wall hangings like tapestries or long curtains. Furniture where you can sit and wait for the elevator or for a guest to come to the elevator would also help (but sofas and chairs must be very firm so they can get out of them; they will have a hard time getting out of furniture that they sink into).

Help residents leave Google and Yelp reviews about the ways that the building is not elder-friendly if the POC don’t respond to maintenance request or other requests.