Adaptive App Design by Detecting Handedness

Abstract: Taller and sleeker smartphone devices are becoming the new norm. More screen space and very responsive touchscreens have made for enjoyable experiences available to us at all times. However, after years of interacting with smaller, portable devices, we still try to use these large smartphones on the go, and do not want to change how, where, and when we interact with them. The older devices were easier to use with one hand, when mobile. Now, with bigger devices, users have trouble accessing all parts of the screen with one hand. We need to recognize the limitations in usability due to these large screens. We must start designing user interfaces that are more conducive to one hand usage, which is the preferred way of interacting with the phone. This paper introduces Adaptive App Design, a design methodology that promotes dynamic and adaptive interfaces for one handed usage. We present a novel method of recognizing which hand the user is interacting with and suggest how to design friendlier interfaces for them by presenting a set of design guidelines for this methodology.