JargonFile/entries/gorilla arm.txt

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2014-04-26 10:52:28 -04:00
gorilla arm
2014-04-26 11:54:15 -04:00
n. The side-effect that destroyed touch-screens as a mainstream input
technology despite a promising start in the early 1980s. It seems the
designers of all those spiffy touch-menu systems failed to notice that
humans aren't designed to hold their arms in front of their faces making
small motions. After more than a very few selections, the arm begins to feel
sore, cramped, and oversized the operator looks like a gorilla while using
the touch screen and feels like one afterwards. This is now considered a
classic cautionary tale to human-factors designers; Remember the gorilla
arm! is shorthand for How is this going to fly in real use?.