Windows 8 Touchscreen: 5 Navigation Tips
Optimizing Windows 8 Desktop for Touch Input
While Windows 8 didn't receive extensive touch-focused enhancements for its desktop environment, even smaller, 8-inch Windows tablets still feature a traditional desktop interface.
Employing these strategies can significantly reduce frustration when interacting with the desktop using finger touch.
Challenges of Touch Interaction on the Desktop
The desktop environment inherently presents difficulties for touch-based interaction, as its original design predates widespread touch technology.
This is historically evidenced by the inclusion of styluses with earlier Windows tablets, such as those running Windows XP, to facilitate precise input.
Leveraging a Stylus for Enhanced Control
A stylus remains a valuable tool for navigating the desktop environment today, offering improved accuracy and control compared to finger touch.
Consider utilizing a stylus to mitigate the inherent challenges of interacting with a desktop interface designed for mouse and keyboard input.
Despite the limitations, these adjustments can make the Windows 8 desktop more manageable when touch input is necessary.
How Windows Interprets Touch Input as Mouse Actions
Microsoft's approach focuses on replicating mouse functionality through touch interactions as intuitively as possible. A single tap corresponds to a left-click, while a double-tap simulates a double-click action.
Holding your finger on the screen for a sustained period emulates a right-click. Dragging and dropping can be achieved by touching an item, moving your finger, and then releasing it.
Scrolling through web pages and documents is facilitated by placing a finger on the screen and then moving it vertically.
Touch-Based Hover Functionality
Within Internet Explorer 11, a long-press gesture can be utilized to trigger a mouse-hover effect. However, it’s important to note that this feature is exclusive to IE11 and isn't available in other browsers.
This allows for interaction with elements that respond to mouse hovering, extending touch capabilities.
Accessing the On-Screen Keyboard
The on-screen keyboard doesn't consistently show when you select a text field within a desktop application. However, it can be manually activated. To display the keyboard, locate and tap the keyboard icon situated near the bottom-right portion of the taskbar.
To close the on-screen keyboard, simply tap the 'X' button found in the upper-right corner of the keyboard window. This will dismiss the keyboard from your screen.
The keyboard is designed to float above your open applications by default, potentially covering portions of the interface. A docking option is available; tap the button to the left of the 'X' to anchor the keyboard to the screen.
Docking ensures that your desktop applications remain visible and are displayed above the keyboard interface.
This virtual keyboard offers a variety of layouts, similar to the keyboard found in Windows 8’s modern user interface. A dedicated layout is available for thumb-based typing, for instance.
To switch between these layouts, tap the button located in the bottom-right corner of the keyboard. This will bring up a selection menu.
Functionality isn't limited to basic typing. The on-screen keyboard includes a Ctrl key, enabling the use of common keyboard shortcuts.
You can utilize shortcuts such as Ctrl+X for cutting, Ctrl+C for copying, and Ctrl+V for pasting text.
Utilizing Touch Mode within Office Applications
Touch Mode in Microsoft Office 2013 is designed to enhance usability on touch-enabled devices. It functions by increasing the size of certain interface elements. This provides more easily targeted areas for finger input.
While beneficial, it’s important to note that Touch Mode isn’t a replacement for a fully touch-optimized version of the Office suite. Such a version is currently under development.
Activating Touch Mode in Office 2013
The process of enabling Touch Mode is straightforward. Begin by tapping the downward-facing arrow located on the left side of the Office application’s title bar.
From the resulting Customize Quick Access Toolbar menu, select the option for Touch Mode. This action will display the Touch Mode icon within the toolbar.
Subsequently, you can activate or deactivate Touch Mode with a simple tap on the newly added icon. This allows for quick and convenient control of the feature.
Adjusting Element Sizes for Enhanced Visibility
Related: Optimizing Windows for High-DPI Displays and Resolving Font Clarity Issues
The standard Windows desktop interface features numerous small components initially intended for mouse interaction. However, increasing the size of these elements can significantly improve accuracy when using touch-based input.
Several methods are available to enlarge on-screen elements. Begin by performing a long press on the desktop, then select "Screen resolution," followed by "Make text and other items larger or smaller." Adjusting the DPI zoom slider to its maximum setting is generally advisable.
Within this same settings area, you can also configure a larger font size for various interface components. This includes title bars, menus, and icons, enhancing overall readability.
As a last resort, consider lowering your device’s screen resolution through the "Screen resolution" control panel. It’s important to note that this may lead to a reduction in image quality and available screen space.
However, if a legacy desktop application is proving too small to control effectively on a tablet, a reduced display resolution could represent an acceptable compromise.
Employing a Virtual Touchpad
For users requiring a mouse cursor for accurate control and hover interactions, consider installing TouchMousePointer. This complimentary application introduces a mouse icon situated adjacent to the keyboard icon within your desktop taskbar.
Selecting this icon launches a panel that emulates a virtual touchpad. Finger movements on this panel translate directly into cursor movement across the screen, mirroring the functionality of a physical touchpad.
Customization Options
The application allows for configuration adjustments. You can choose to display the touchpad as a compact window or even transform the entire screen into a responsive virtual touchpad surface.
When utilizing a tablet for desktop tasks, the limited size of touch targets can present challenges. In such scenarios, a stylus is often a beneficial accessory.
This is a key reason why Microsoft’s Surface Pro tablets, capable of running traditional Windows software on a full desktop environment, are bundled with a stylus. Microsoft anticipates minimal direct finger interaction with the desktop interface.
Ultimately, applications designed for the conventional Windows desktop were not originally optimized for touch-based tablets, and this limitation remains.
Image Source: Intel Free Press on Flickr
