Understanding How Mobile Interactions Shape Grasp and Contact Patterns Beyond the Touchscreen
Type
conference paper
Date Issued
2026-04-13
Author(s)
Stellmacher, Carolin
;
Dratzidis Leon Tristan
;
Zenner, André
;
Iddo Yehoshua Wald
;
Colley, Mark
;
;
Rogers, Yvonne
;
Degraen, Donald
;
Colley, Mark
Abstract
The way users hold a smartphone depends on the interaction task, yet little is known about the fingers' engagement with the device's surfaces beyond the touchscreen. Such an understanding not only opens up opportunities for novel on-and off-screen interactions, but also the device's possible physical affordances. We present a study (N=23) that examines the hands' physical engagement with the smartphone beyond the touchscreen across nine mobile interactions.
Grasps were annotated from photographs, and contact regions were
captured using residual heat traces from grasping the device. Our
findings show that fingers and palms adopt a variety of support roles
and postures when engaging with the smartphone’s back and side
edges. The hand-contact maps reveal distinct patterns, differing
in contact frequency and placement. This work contributes an
empirical characterisation of hands’ back and edge engagement,
highlighting design opportunities for future smartphone usage
extending beyond the touchscreen.
Grasps were annotated from photographs, and contact regions were
captured using residual heat traces from grasping the device. Our
findings show that fingers and palms adopt a variety of support roles
and postures when engaging with the smartphone’s back and side
edges. The hand-contact maps reveal distinct patterns, differing
in contact frequency and placement. This work contributes an
empirical characterisation of hands’ back and edge engagement,
highlighting design opportunities for future smartphone usage
extending beyond the touchscreen.
Language
English
Keywords
Grasp
Contact Pattern
Smartphone
Mobile Phone
Beyond the Touchscreen
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
ACM
Event Title
ACM CHI 2026
Event Location
Barcelona
Subject(s)
Division(s)
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
Name
chi26-297-5.pdf
Size
9.86 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
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