Will innovators forever overlook left-handed people?

Most of the time, tech companies don’t focus too much on the “right-hand versus left-hand” utility of devices.

Other than power and volume buttons, smartphones and tablets are typically dominant-hand-agnostic.

Once the device is on, the interface can be configured however one likes, and the differences between right and left-hand use becomes much less important.

Take, for example, Samsung’s latest feat of technological wizardry, the Galaxy Note Edge, with its funky, curved screen. While that may appeal to some, it really takes seeing it in action before the utility of the curved part of the screen can really be appreciated.

The part of the display that wraps around the Note Edge is on the right side of the device. For right-handers holding the phablet in their left hand, this is perfect. We can swipe, scroll, and tap on that part of the display with the fingers on our right hand.

For lefties, however, the story is a bit different. They hold the device in their right hand, with their thumb pressing on part of the curved screen. In addition to having unintended screen contact, this also makes holding the device much less stable – a thumb on a slick, curved screen is much easier to slip than a thumb on a flat screen.

CUTTING OFF RECEPTION

When the iPhone 4 hit shops in 2010, some customers could not use the new Apple device to either call or surf the Internet. The reason was that holding the device in the left hand could, in some cases, cover the phone’s antennae, thereby cutting off reception.

Apparently, the designers, technicians and testers at Apple did not think about the needs of left-handers, or maybe they simply ignored them.
But when you’re left-handed, you do learn to live with all the subtle little reminders that the world is designed for the right-handed majority. They’re everywhere, and they’re especially pervasive when it comes to PCs and related products.

Consider the evidence; things like power buttons and disk-drive eject buttons are usually on the right side, so they’re easy to reach with your right index finger. Laptop optical drives are usually on the right side of the case.

The mouse can cause issues for left-handers. Most of the time they are located on the right side of the keyboard. A wireless mouse solves most of the problems, and the system settings in Windows allows for the keys to be changed.

RSTLE UP KEYBOARDS

Numeric keypads are on the right side of the keyboard. This is always, in the case for laptops. For the desktop PC, left-handers are able to rustle up keyboards with left-handed numeric keypads if they feel strongly enough about it.

The control panels on printers are often to the right of the paper trays. Exactly where you’d want them to be if you’re standing in front of a printer and are right-handed.

There are other examples of the technology world being unfriendly to left-handers, for example in the case of camcorders. They are completely equipped to be controlled with the right hand. Even photography cameras often have the controls on the right side.

About the only enduring thing left-handed PC users have had going for them is the Qwerty keyboard layout. It’s delightfully left-hand-friendly, with the majority of the most-used letters on the left side.

Nevertheless, it has been shown that the older the user, the more difficulty left-handers have in getting accustomed to new devices that have to be operated with the right hand.

In the case of smartphones, it would seem, initially, that it doesn’t matter which hand is used on a touchscreen. But since many devices have the on-off or volume buttons on the right side, operating the device with just your left hand is not easy.

Left-handers need to take a device in their hand before buying it and give it a good test.

Sam Wambugu is a monitoring and evaluation specialist. Email: [email protected]