From “clicking” to “tapping” a button… where have all the physical buttons gone? The iPhone home button was laid to rest in 2017 with the release of the iPhone X, ushering in the age of contactless interactions like Face ID. Every new generation of devices seems to eliminate elements of physical design to focus on sleeker, more minimalistic designs. Nowadays, everything can be done from the small touchscreen interfaces of mobile phones, begging the question: will phones even have the power button a decade from now?
iPhone 8 vs. iPhone X
However, some technology will always have the need for the tactile feedback of physical buttons. For example, multiple automotive companies like Tesla and Volkswagen reintroduced physical controls after realizing that drivers need the accessibility of certain functions as they provide a stronger sense of safety through muscle memory and haptic feedback. What may require drivers 3 seconds to find on a touchscreen could take them 1 second to reach on a physical control, reducing the cognitive load and time it takes to do a task. Driving is something that requires the full attention of drivers, so the automatic feedback of physical buttons may make all the difference between life and death.
While not used in the life-saving way, buttons on game controllers are also a vital need. In fact, controllers may be the only handheld devices that will always need the tactile feedback of physical buttons. Andrii Dotsenko writes about game control design in his blog post, going into detail about ergonomic accessibility. He mentions how important design principles like Fitts’s Law (predictive model for time required to rapidly move to a target) formulate the layout for accessing buttons on controllers. He notes that, “The most frequent actions should be in the most accessible places and match primary control group of the player’s hand.”
In the picture below of a Xbox 360 Controller, the different colors represent tiers of accessibility while playing (Tier 1 being the most accessible). More accessible buttons are therefore used to perform more frequent actions and are designed to optimize whatever action would need to be controlled by a particular finger or located at a particular part of the controller. For example, the thumb could control continuous navigation actions via the joystick-like button. Quick vital movements could be performed by clicking the A/X buttons, while less important actions could be controlled by the B/Y buttons.
Different types of controllers are designed with distinct shapes and button placements to optimize users’ performance for the games they are meant for. While the Xbox controller could be used for a variety of action games spanning across genres like first-person shooter, horror, and sports, a controller in the shape of a wheel would be specialized for racing games, emphasizing different ergonomic and action-based relationships.
However, even among racing game enthusiasts, preferences vary. Some players dislike the wheel-shaped controllers with foot-operated paddles that simulate braking and acceleration, opting instead for more traditional gamepads. For example, in a Reddit thread asking about the best controller for racing games, one user notes, “Paddles are more of a gimmick (for racing at least IMO)…Personally I prefer the Xbox layout, more comfort and control on the left stick. Xbox One controller (One S variant) has the better triggers, they're longer and stick out more”. This demonstrates how ergonomics not only influences design but also shapes users’ preferences and performances.
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