Active Pen Tip / Surface Evaluation (for touch)
John Neumann, PhD Experience Design Group July 2013 Research Overview Objectives
• Assess the experience of using 4 active pen tips of varying material hardness on 5 unique touch surfaces
• Collect additional preference data on active pen thickness and weight Method
• 19 participants (9 M, 10 F) completed script and print tasks on 5 touch surfaces, using all 4 pen tips on each
– Four pen tips categorized by N-Trig from softest to hardest: B2, B5, B6, POM (users saw A, B, C, D)
– Tasks included signing their name and printing their address and phone number multiple times
– Touch surfaces included Plastic (PMMA) w/ hard coating, and Plastic (PMMA) w/ hard coating + anti-fingerprint treatment, Gorilla Glass, Soda Glass, and Glass with “Diamond Guard” treatment
• Ratings collected for overall feel (including slick to rough), writing control, and enjoyment of use on each surface
– Pen tip overall preference then ranked on a weighted scale
• Subsequently, we presented users with 2 new pen samples of different thicknesses and weights that represented a low-cost 10.5 mm N-Trig future offering, and a 12.4 mm pen w/ AAA battery (potential to replace AAAA)
2 Confidential Experience Design Group Executive Summary Key Findings Detailed Findings Backup
Experience Design Group Executive Summary │ Tip / Surface Findings Key takeaways: Softer pen tips work best on slick surfaces, and hard pen tips work best on rougher, textured surfaces. Tips of medium hardness are a safe bet on almost any surface
• Pen tip B5 (2nd softest material tested) was preferred on the Plastic (PMMA) surfaces (labeled 1 & 2) and the Gorilla Glass surface (3)
• On Soda Glass (4) and Glass w/ “Diamond Guard” (5), pen tip B6 (2nd hardest material tested) was preferred
• On both the PMMA surfaces, and Gorilla Glass, pen tip B5 was also considered “just right” in terms of friction/resistance – Tip B2 (softest material tested) fared well with regard to friction on Plastic w/ hard coat, and Gorilla Glass, but was considered slightly too rough on Plastic w/ hard coat + the anti-fingerprint treatment – Tips B6 and POM (Hardest material tested) were rated too slick across the same 3 surfaces
• Soda Glass and Glass w/ “Diamond Guard” seemed to offer greater resistance than the other surfaces – Participants perceived all the active pens to feel rougher compared to the first 3 surfaces – Ratings for tips B2 and B5 typically scored as too rough, indicating the softer tips are a poor match on rougher, treated surfaces
4 Confidential Experience Design Group Executive Summary │ Combined Attributes
• Pen tip B5 was preferred most, on average, across all surfaces
• Ratings followed a trend among certain surfaces
– Plastic coated surfaces (1 & 2) and Gorilla Glass (3) presented the most similar feel across all pen tips – Soda Glass (4) and “Diamond Guard” (5) offered similar friction/resistance experiences with all pen tips
Overall active pen ratings averaged across all Surfaces
9 8 7 6.53 5.59 5.78 6 5.23 5 4 3
Participant Rating (9 =Best) (9 Rating Participant 2 1 0 B (B2) C (B5) D (B6) A (POM)
SOFT HARD
5 Confidential Experience Design Group Executive Summary│ Surface Preference
• Overall, participants had significantly better pen experience on the Gorilla Glass surface
• The Soda Glass surface presented the worst overall pen experience (not statistically significant)
– This suggests a potential cost / benefit tradeoff as Soda Glass is the lowest cost glass option, in addition to not providing any durability or convenience treatments
Average Preference ranking of all pens across each surface
9
8
7 6.42 5.84 5.68 6 5.42 5.54
5
4
3
2 Participant Rating = Best) (9
1
0 1. Hard Coat 2. Hard Coat w/ Anti 3. Gorilla Glass 4. Soda Glass 5. Diamond Guard Fingerprint
6 Confidential Experience Design Group Executive Summary Key Findings Detailed Findings Backup
Experience Design Group Key Findings│ Overall Preference Rankings The combination of surface texture and tip hardness influenced overall preferences, but some users had strong feelings about softer or harder tip materials regardless of surface type • The best surface-to-tip combination overall is B5 on Gorilla Glass – Individual scores on the combined ranking scale were higher on the Gorilla Glass surface compared to other surfaces, regardless of pen tip – This finding correlates to what some participants mentioned in discussion “This surface feels right …it seems like it works with the pen to help me write better.”
Overall Preference Rankings B (B2) C (B5) D (B6) A (POM)
9 7.79 8 6.63 6.68 7 6.32 6.37 6.00 5.89 6.05 6.00 5.95 5.53 5.53 5.58 5.53 6 5.21 5.26 5.42 4.89 4.68 5 4.32 4 3 2 Participant Rating (9 =Best) (9 Rating Participant 1 0 1. Hard Coat 2. Hard Coat w/ Anti 3. Gorilla Glass 4. Soda Glass 5. Diamond Guard Fingerprint
8 Confidential Experience Design Group Key Findings│ Tip Attribute Ratings In general, softness B5 stood out in terms of overall feel, writing control, and enjoyment across all attributes • Tip B6 followed a close second in terms of the feel
– This suggests that participants, on average, did not like active pens with tips that were either very hard or very soft
All active pen Attributes averaged across all Surfaces
5.69 Hard A (POM) 5.87 Enjoyment 6.08 while using this Stylus 5.98 D (B6) 6.13 Writing Control 6.55
6.35 C (B5) 6.64 6.82 Overall Feel of Stylus
5.48 Soft B (B2) 5.89 5.74
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Participant Rating ( 9 = Best)
9 Confidential Experience Design Group Key Findings│ Overall Thickness & Weight
• The Gold 10.5 mm pen was preferred most overall in terms of weight and thickness – The Silver 12.4 mm pen was rated lower than the others at a statistically significant level – The Black 9 mm pen used in the primary study was rated favorably, and is considered statistically equal to the Gold 10.5 mm pen – Users were split evenly between men and women, and we observed no significant gender differences for any attribute
Overall Rating
9
8 6.95 7 6.37
6 4.95 5
4
3 Participant Ranking (9 = Best) = (9 Ranking Participant 2
1
0 Black Silver Gold
10 Confidential Experience Design Group Key Findings│ Size / Weight Attributes
Alternative Active Pen Thickness • The Silver 12.4 mm pen was rated to be wider than favorable 5.1 Gold – Some participants did not like the thickness and pointed out that it felt like a “Sharpie” 6.6 Silver
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Too Narrow Just Right Too Wide
• Pen weights were not a significant concern for participants Alternative Active Pen Weight – In discussion, most participants felt that the weight of all the three active pens (Black, Gold and Silver) was acceptable for 5.0 Gold use on touch screens 5.1 Silver – Some perceived that a slightly heavier pen was more expensive and more durable 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Too Light Just Right Too Heavy
11 Confidential Experience Design Group Executive Summary Key Findings Detailed Findings Backup
Experience Design Group Detailed Findings│ Tip Characteristics The following charts are a representation of the overall feel, control, and enjoyment of each active pen, per surface
Surface 1: Plastic with hard coating Surface 2: Plastic w/hard coating and anti-fingerprint 9 9 Soft B (B2) 8 7.11 8 6.89 6.68 6.89 6.63 6.47 6.63 6.53 7 6.05 6.11 7 5.89 5.89 5.68 5.95 5.63 5.79 5.53 C (B5) 6 5.26 5.16 6 5.42 5.37 5.42 5.47 5.11 5 5 4 4 D (B6) 3 3 2 2 Hard A (POM) 1 1 0 0 Overall Feel Control Enjoy Using this pen Overall Feel Control Enjoy Using this pen
Surface 3: Corning Gorilla Glass Surface 4: Soda Glass Surface 5: Diamond Guard coat on glass 9 9 7.95 9 7.68 7.58 8 7.26 8 8 6.84 6.79 7.00 6.74 6.47 6.63 7 6.42 6.16 6.16 6.26 7 6.16 6.37 7 6.05 6.11 6.11 6.05 6.26 6.11 6.00 6.05 5.89 5.84 5.74 5.68 5.47 5.53 5.68 5.42 5.47 6 6 5.11 6 4.89 4.63 5 5 5 4 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 Overall Feel Control Enjoy Using this pen Overall Feel Control Enjoy Using this pen Overall Feel Control Enjoy Using this pen
13 Confidential Experience Design Group Detailed Findings│ Tip Characteristics
Surface 1: Plastic with hard coating Surface 2: Plastic w/hard coating and anti-fingerprint 9 9 Soft B (B2) 8 7.11 8 6.89 6.68 6.89 6.63 6.47 6.63 6.53 7 6.05 6.11 7 5.89 5.89 5.68 5.95 5.63 5.79 5.53 C (B5) 6 5.26 5.16 6 5.42 5.37 5.42 5.47 5.11 5 5 4 4 D (B6) 3 3 2 2 Hard A (POM) 1 1 0 0 Overall Feel Control Enjoy Using this pen Overall Feel Control Enjoy Using this pen
Surface 3: Corning Gorilla Glass Surface• Participant 4: Soda Glass ratings suggested similaritiesSurface 5:between Diamond Guard the hardHard coat on glass 9 9 7.95 9 7.68 7.58 coat w/ anti fingerprint and the Corning Gorilla glass 8 7.26 8 8 6.84 6.79 7.00 6.74 6.47 6.63 7 6.42 6.16 6.16 6.26 7 6.16 6.37 7 6.05 6.11 6.11 6.05 6.26 6.11 6.00 6.05 surfaces5.89 5.84 5.74 5.68 5.47 5.53 5.68 5.42 5.47 6 6 5.11 6 4.89 – Ratings followed4.63 the same trend in both surfaces but the 5 5 5 4 4 Overall feel, Control and level4 of Enjoyment was rated 3 3 higher on the Corning Gorilla 3glass than the Hard coat 2 2 2 1 1 surface 1 0 0 0 Overall Feel Control Enjoy Using this pen Overall Feel Control Enjoy Using this pen Overall Feel Control Enjoy Using this pen
14 Confidential Experience Design Group Detailed Findings│ Tip Characteristics
Surface 1: Plastic with hard coating Surface 2: Plastic w/hard coating and anti-fingerprint 9 9 Soft B (B2) 8 7.11 8 6.89 6.68 6.89 6.63 6.47 6.63 6.53 7 6.05 6.11 7 5.89 5.89 5.68 5.95 5.63 5.79 5.53 C (B5) 6 5.26 5.16 6 5.42 5.37 5.42 5.47 5.11 5 5 4 4 D (B6) 3 3 2 2 Hard A (POM) 1 1 0 0 Overall Feel Control Enjoy Using this pen Overall Feel Control Enjoy Using this pen
Surface 3: Corning Gorilla Glass Surface• B5 4: Soda was Glass the only tip to have a consistentSurface 5: rating Diamond on Guard these hard threecoat on glass 9 9 7.95 9 7.68 7.58 surfaces 8 7.26 8 8 6.84 6.79 7.00 6.74 6.47 6.63 7 6.42 6.16 6.16 6.26 7 – All other6.16 tips received6.37 mixed ratings.7 6.05 6.11 (For 6.11 eg. the6.05 POM6.26 being 6.11 6.00 6.05 5.89 5.84 5.74 5.68 5.47 5.53 5.68 5.42 5.47 6 6 5.11 6 4.89 liked second best4.63 on Surface 1, while faring lowest on 5 5 5 4 4 Surfaces 2 & 3) 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 Overall Feel Control Enjoy Using this pen Overall Feel Control Enjoy Using this pen Overall Feel Control Enjoy Using this pen
15 Confidential Experience Design Group Detailed Findings│ Tip Characteristics
Surface 1: Plastic with hard coating Surface 2: Plastic w/hard coating and anti-fingerprint 9 9 Soft B (B2) 8 7.11 8 6.89 6.68 6.89 6.63 6.47 6.63 6.53 7 6.05 6.11 7 5.89 5.89 5.68 5.95 5.63 5.79 5.53 C (B5) 6 5.26 5.16 6 5.42 5.37 5.42 5.47 5.11 5 5 4 4 D (B6) 3 • On Surface3 4 and Surface 5, however, tip B5 saw a 2 drop in ratings2 while B6 was most preferred Hard A (POM) 1 1 0 – The0 surface treatment on these surfaces may have Overall Feel Control Enjoy Using this pen been rougherOverall Feel and henceControl providedEnjoy aUsing less this penfavorable writing experience with softer tips
Surface 3: Corning Gorilla glass plain Surface 4: Soda Glass Surface 5: Diamond Guard coat on glass 9 9 7.95 9 7.68 7.58 8 7.26 8 8 6.84 6.79 7.00 6.74 6.47 6.63 7 6.42 6.16 6.16 6.26 7 6.16 6.37 7 6.05 6.11 6.11 6.05 6.26 6.11 6.00 6.05 5.89 5.84 5.74 5.68 5.47 5.53 5.68 5.42 5.47 6 6 5.11 6 4.89 4.63 5 5 5 4 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 Overall Feel Control Enjoy Using this pen Overall Feel Control Enjoy Using this pen Overall Feel Control Enjoy Using this pen
16 Confidential Experience Design Group Detailed Findings│ Tip Characteristics
Surface 1: Plastic with hard coating Surface 2: Plastic w/hard coating and anti-fingerprint 9 9 Soft B (B2) 8 7.11 8 6.89 6.68 6.89 6.63 6.47 6.63 6.53 7 6.05 6.11 7 5.89 5.89 5.68 5.95 5.63 5.79 5.53 C (B5) 6 5.26 5.16 6 5.42 5.37 5.42 5.47 5.11 5 5 4 4 D (B6) 3 3 2 2 Hard A (POM) 1 1 0 0 Overall Feel Control Enjoy Using this pen Overall Feel Control Enjoy Using this pen
Surface 3: Corning Gorilla glass plain Surface 4: Soda Glass Surface 5: Diamond Guard hard coat on glass 9 9 7.95• Tip B2 received 9 7.68 7.58 8 7.26 8 8 6.84 6.79 7.00 6.74 particularly6.47 poor ratings 6.63 7 6.42 6.16 6.16 6.26 7 6.16 6.37 7 6.05 6.11 6.11 6.05 6.26 6.11 6.00 6.05 5.89 5.84 5.74 5.68 5.47 5.53 5.68 5.42 5.47 6 on the Soda Glass 6 5.11 6 4.89 4.63 5 5 5 4 surface, suggesting a bad 4 4 3 tip / surface combination 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 Overall Feel Control Enjoy Using this pen Overall Feel Control Enjoy Using this pen Overall Feel Control Enjoy Using this pen
17 Confidential Experience Design Group Detailed Findings│ Tip Characteristics
The following charts are a representation of how the four active pen tips felt on each of the five surfaces tested
Surface 1: Plastic with hard coating Surface 2: Plastic with hard coating and anti-fingerprint Surface 3: Gorilla Glass
B (B2) 4.7 B (B2) 3.8 B (B2) 4.4
5.4 C (B5) 5.5 C (B5) 5.5 C (B5)
6.6 D (B6) 7.1 D (B6) 6.4 D (B6)
6.4 A (POM) 7.2 A (POM) 6.7 A (POM)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Too Rough Just Right Too Slick Too Rough Just Right Too Slick Too Rough Just Right Too Slick
Surface 4: Soda Glass Surface 5: Diamond Guard coating on glass
B (B2) 2.7 B (B2) 3.5
C (B5) 3.6 C (B5) 4.4
5.7 D (B6) 6.6 D (B6)
6.2 A (POM) 6.7 A (POM)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Too Rough Just Right Too Slick Too Rough Just Right Too Slick
18 Confidential Experience Design Group Detailed Findings│ Tip Characteristics
Surface 1: Plastic with hard coating Surface 2: Plastic with hard coating and anti-fingerprint Surface 3: Gorilla Glass
B (B2) 4.7 B (B2) 3.8 B (B2) 4.4
5.4 C (B5) 5.5 C (B5) 5.5 C (B5)
6.6 D (B6) 7.1 D (B6) 6.4 D (B6)
6.4 A (POM) 7.2 A (POM) 6.7 A (POM)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Too Rough Just Right Too Slick Too Rough Just Right Too Slick Too Rough Just Right Too Slick
Surface 4: Soda Glass Surface 5: Diamond Guard coating on glass • Again, B5 was the only tip to have a consistent rating on B (B2) 2.7 these three surfaces B (B2) 3.5
C (B5) 3.6 – Tip hardness B6 and POM Cwere (B5) 4.4 perceived to be midway between just right and too slick for these surfaces 5.7 D (B6) 6.6 D (B6)
6.2 A (POM) 6.7 A (POM)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Too Rough Just Right Too Slick Too Rough Just Right Too Slick
19 Confidential Experience Design Group Detailed Findings│ Tip Characteristics
The following charts are a representation of how the four active pen tips felt on each of the five surfaces tested
Surface 1: Plastic with hard coating Surface 2: Plastic with hard coating and anti-fingerprint Surface 3: Gorilla Glass
B (B2) 4.7 B (B2) 3.8 B (B2) 4.4
5.4 C (B5) 5.5 C (B5) 5.5 C (B5)
6.6 D (B6) 7.1 D (B6) 6.4 D (B6)
6.4 A (POM) 7.2 A (POM) 6.7 A (POM) • On Surfaces 4 and 5 seemed to have been rougher as the softer tips B2 and B5 felt too rough compared st 1 2 to 3the 14 three5 surfaces6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Too Rough Too Slick Too Rough Just Right Too Slick Too Rough Just Right Too Slick – ThisJust correlates Right with the drop in ratings for B5 – In general, all tips were rated to have been rougher on these surfaces than on the 1st three surfaces Surface 4: Soda Glass Surface 5: Diamond Guard coating on glass
B (B2) 2.7 B (B2) 3.5
C (B5) 3.6 C (B5) 4.4
5.7 D (B6) 6.6 D (B6)
6.2 A (POM) 6.7 A (POM)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Too Rough Just Right Too Slick Too Rough Just Right Too Slick
20 Confidential Experience Design Group Executive Summary Key Findings Detailed Findings Backup
Experience Design Group Additional Findings│ Demographics
Touch input method 18
16 • Participants were experienced at using a stylus or pen 14 with most of them typically using a combination of 12 their fingers and stylus/pen 10 8 6
No. of Participants of No. 4 2 0 My fingers A pen/ Stylus Mixture of Finger/ Stylus
Most important attribute
8 • Processing power, touch accuracy, and price were the 7 primary drivers users consider when buying a touch- 6 enabled device 5 4 3 2 No. of Participants of No. 1 0 Price Processing Screen Size Design Touch Power Accuracy
22 Confidential Experience Design Group Additional Findings│ Active Pen Thickness/ Weight
There was no gender difference in the overall relative ratings for the 3 pen samples in terms of thickness and weight • Females rated both the black and the gold pen the same with regard to weight and thickness properties • Black = 9mm; Silver = 12.4 mm; Gold = 10.5 mm
Overall Ratings (Male) Overall Ratings (Female) 9 9
8 7.44 8 6.50 6.50 7 6.22 7 6 6 5.00 4.90 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2
1 Best) = (9 Ranking Participant 1 Participant Ranking (9 = Best) = (9 Ranking Participant 0 0 Black Silver Gold Black Silver Gold
23 Confidential Experience Design Group Additional Findings│ Thickness (by Gender)
Males and Females rated the Silver pen as being wider than favorable. There was no gender difference in these ratings
active pen Thickness (Male) active pen Thickness (Female)
5.2 Gold Gold 4.9
6.2 Silver 7.0 Silver
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Too Narrow Just Right Too Thick Too Narrow Just Right Too Wide
24 Confidential Experience Design Group Additional Findings│ Weight (by Gender)
The weights of the Gold and Silver active pens were rated about “just right” by both genders. There was no gender difference
active pen Weight (Male) active pen Weight (Female)
5.1 Gold Gold 4.9
Silver 4.8 5.3 Silver
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Too Light Just Right Too Heavy Too Light Just Right Too Heavy
25 Confidential Experience Design Group Backup│ Test Materials
26 Confidential Experience Design Group