Encyclopedia

gorilla arm

gorilla arm

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 afterward. 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?".
This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (foldoc.org)
Mentioned in
References in periodicals archive
Folded down to a 20-degree angle, the display finds a second role, as a giant tablet, allowing the user to interact with it more easily without the risk of "gorilla arm," the sensation of heaviness felt after a few minutes of operating a touch screen with one arm raised out in front of the body.
Another model wore a sparkling swimming costume with feathers down one side and a fake gorilla arm holding an ape mask on the other.
"These players have to understand, our testing is accurate and we have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to gorilla arms," said Commissioner Selig.
Copyright © 2003-2025 Farlex, Inc Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.