product analyzed

mouse4all

mouse4all

Mouse4all logo
Overall rating:
5/5
Rec2
Technology:

Categories assigned to this product within the main category Technology.

Needs:

Categories assigned to this product within the main category Needs.

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Below is the video of the review.

What does it consist of:

Mouse4all news has been analyzed, which you can check in the following link https://www.orientatech.es/es/novedades-mouse4all

November 2017

Mouse4all is a device that allows you to use a tablet or Android touch phone with accessible peripherals: a ball mouse (trackball), a joystick or with one or two buttons.

This accessible solution makes it easier for people with physical disabilities, who have difficulty using a touch screen, to do so, accessing social networks, games, the Internet and applications of various uses. It consists of a small junction box and a free downloadable Android application. Mouse4all makes possible the interaction between user and touch device with an application that, using two cursors, travels the screen in all directions allowing the selection of any option.

It is included in the Ceapat Support Products Catalog and has received awards such as the "Vodafone Innovation Award 2016" in the Physical ICT Accessibility category. He has also been a finalist in the 2017 Social Innovation Competition organized by the European Commission and winner of the 2017 United Nations World Summit WSA award in the category Inclusion and empowerment.

 

Weight and measurements

Length: 4,8 cm

Width: 4,7 cm

Height: 1,6 cm

Weight: 22 grams

                                                                                    

Image of mouse4all with a one euro coin

Forms of acquisition:

The product can be purchased at the following online stores:

The application can be downloaded from the Google Play Store:

Link to Google Play  

Technical assessment:

Preparation and setup

The Mouse4all device is packaged in a basic design elongated cardboard package, which includes the connector and connection cable, along with the short guide:

 

Mouse4all box picture

The device is very light and easy to use due to its square shape. It is pleasant and tasty to the touch with some roughness which allows us to hold it easily. It gives a first impression of being very integrated and compact.

 Image of Mouse4all

Image of Mouse4all

Following the indications of the quick guide, we proceed to connect the system. The tests have been carried out with an HTC device, Samsung and a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Tablet, as well as an external button from Ablenet.

Image of Mouse4all connected to the button

Image of Mouse4all connected to the button

In the configuration section, an options menu is offered that allows you to customize the use of the Mouse4all application functionalities:

Input mode: This section of the menu is key, since it allows you to configure which peripheral is going to be used to manage the application: one or two buttons, time between presses (nothing / short / moderate / long / very long) or the type of click (when press / release / move until release)

Depending on the type of mobility and the use to be made of the touch device, the input mode is adjusted.

In this section you can also configure the possibility of “allowing the use of mouse4all from other apps”, to take advantage of the mouse in all applications.

Menu: You can decide where the menu is positioned at the top, center or bottom within the screen, with some specific specifications about repositioning after a selection.

This section also offers one of the great potentials of the tool, offering predesigned menus of options, designed for the various profiles of potential users, with which Mouse4all itself has had the opportunity to test. There is also the possibility of designing your own and saving it for future use opportunities.

In this section we think it is important to stop and detail that 6 user menu possibilities are offered (anna, bob, chris, david, elvis and fred) that can be used for push button control. We are going to highlight only two, one of the simplest with few functionalities and another of the most complete and therefore requires more skill to handle it:

 

The Chris menu has seemed to us one of the most practical since with only 5 options it facilitates all the movements and selectable options. The horizontal and vertical one-way arrow with bounce allows you to scroll through the entire screen and with the scroll in both directions. We came up with the possibility of improving to unify the scroll up and down with the same menu option, since some users could benefit from it.

Very optimal and functional!

 

The Elvis menu is one of the most complete, which with 4 submenus, offers shortcuts and complementary functionalities. Some of the most useful are, for example, the Android backspace, back to the desktop or the option to turn off the screen while the button is not being used in order to optimize the battery.

Swept: As its name indicates, it configures the speed, from slow to very fast and other more specific parameters of the sweep such as the speed of each menu option, the time before scrolling through the options, the way in which the mouse returns to movement in the edges (circular or bouncing)

The combination of these sections is the key to take advantage of the features of Mouse4all, allowing scrolling and selection through the touch device. Below we can see a video where the Mouse4all configuration process is described:

 Configuration video image

Setup Video

 

Familiarization with the device after a few test opportunities is quite simple, and the possibility of adapting the configuration to each user profile and also depending on the type of activity that is going to be carried out with the mobile terminal or Tablet, seem to us the great advantages of the device. We have been able to carry out tasks such as taking pictures, playing games, accessing Whassap, etc. in an agile and practical way. The following video shows the operation of Mouse4all in the daily use of the mobile terminal:

 

 Video of taking a photo

Highlights:

· It allows people who until now could not handle tactile technological devices, to do so enjoying all its possibilities. They cover a need that had no solution until now.

· It is compatible with the main applications used on a Tablet or Android mobile device.

· The device promotes Personal Autonomy and Care for people in a situation of dependency, allowing them to access the information, leisure and knowledge offered by the Internet, as well as participate socially.

· Its small size, rough and light, facilitates its handling compared to groups with more difficulties in handling objects.

· It has a variety of very interesting application management menus, allowing it to be adapted to the person who handles it.

· The options to manage the screen: move, press, drag, scroll, as well as the physics of the device can be done with Mouse4all.

· The solution is very simple also for the family member or caregiver, simplifying the familiarization or training phase with the user.

· The company has followed some very successful steps in developing the solution, keeping the target group in mind, so the adjustments regarding the configuration possibilities are very precise.

· The menus are simple and easy to understand and the functionalities are clearly identified.

· Contact with the company has been fluid and they have provided all the information we have required for the tests.

· It is compatible with a large percentage of other complementary support products.

Improvement points:

· The potential of being able to incorporate more predefined menus designed for different groups of users is identified, describing the advantages of each one of them. This improvement is especially for the professionals who are in charge of setting up, configuring and adapting Mouse4all to each person.

· There are some menus that are suitable for pushbutton than for mouse and vice versa, it could be clarified.

· We have detected compatibility of Mouse4all with some support products such as those of Android "Accessibility" or EVA Facial Mouse, we think that this is more than a point of improvement, it is a challenge, to keep the compatibility of the device updated, with the new support products that are emerging in the sector.

 

 

Technical evaluation scores.

Design and manufacturing:
4/5
This section refers to the physical aspects and details of the manufacturing of the technological product.
Technical benefits:
5/5
Description of the quality of the technical specifications of the technological solution.
User experience:
5/5
This criterion is linked to the user's assessment when relating to the technical product or application.
Accessibility:
5/5
It is the degree to which people can use or access a product, technological solution or service, regardless of their technical, cognitive or physical abilities.

Social valuation:

Rubén social assessment

The volunteer who has tested this device has been Ruben of the Red Cross. He is a regular user of PC, Tablet and mobile phone. His quadriplegia prevents him from moving his fingers, and he also has some sensitivity problems, which makes his handling with touch devices limited. His general assessment has been very favorable regarding this device: “I use the tablet and the mobile without any additional device. With surprise I have seen that with Mouse4all, on the tablet, I have gained a lot of precision and security in the actions "

You have used the system with the Ablenet “Big Red Switch” pushbutton.

Image of Mouse4all with Ablenet pushbutton

ASPECT

The cardboard box has a rustic look, maybe recycled, with an orange band, I really liked the look.

Inside we see a padded band to protect it, a brochure with a quick installation guide with an explanatory drawing of the connected set and a card with the personal contact of someone from Mouse4all! I really liked this.

 

DESIGN / ERGONOMICS

The device must be connected to the phone / tablet in a specific direction (the ends are different, bent and straight). If the sense is not correct, it does not work.

I appreciate that it is made with a rough, small and light plastic that has facilitated its handling.

During the time of use I have not noticed that it got hot.

 

USABILITY / EASE OF USE / UNDERSTANDING

I have not had any problems searching and installing the application through Google Play. I have not found apps with similar names that could confuse me.

After reading the "Start Guide", I was able to start using it but in a few seconds I had to reread it and go to "Guide to menus and icons". Having the printed icons on hand for the first few uses is very simple.

Very positively valued the video tutorials provided by the manufacturer through the web, short and clear.

I wanted to use several applications and I have needed to change the menu for each one of them.

I find the possibility of having different menus according to the use made of the tablet / mobile is a very good idea.

I have not been able to find how the system to add menus works. There is remote server access but information is missing.

The icons with which the menus are displayed seem clear, understandable and the organization that is presented in each proposed alternative seems very appropriate.

 

ACCESSIBILITY

The options of the CONFIGURATION MENU of the Mouse4all to adjust the functionalities of the cursor to the visual needs, have done me very well to adapt the color according to the desktop background, the speed according to my level of learning and the maximum size of the icons according to the screen resolution.

I have found the possibilities of location and programming of the chosen menu to be sufficient, it is appreciated that you remember it and I have found it very comfortable "automatic repositioning".

For me the option of "Swept", I have taken advantage of the bounce so as not to change the direction arrow, making it easier for me to move around the screen.

After trying several menus, with the "Elvis" I have come to feel comfortable and achieve the exercise. Perhaps due to lack of expertise, it has been difficult for me to insert a personalized location in a message in WhatsApp. I have used "Fred" when the content is not seen 100% wide by the browser or the web or when working with maps.

As improvement proposals, Rubén points to the possibilities of incorporating more predefined menus and the possibility of a version for IOS.

 

REMEMBER FUNCTIONALITIES OF USE

After three days from the first use, I printed out the “Menu and Icon Guide” page and it was very good for me to remember the functionality of all the options.

SENSATION OF SECURITY / RELIABILITY

In relation to the security aspects of the Tablet, being able to manage your messages without the interference of a third person seems vital to me.

During testing time, the device has performed as we anticipated it should.

 

Usability: .

Impact:  .

Feeling of Security:  .

Design / Ergonomics:  .

· Memory of functionalities of use: .

· Accessibility:  .

 

APAM social assessment

APAM logo

 

Photograph of a user using Mouse4all

We held a Mouse4all assessment session with the APAM Day center, Association of Parents of Handicapped Students. The people who participated were a user of the center, Ana and an occupational therapist Eva. Ana uses Mouse4all to operate a Tablet. This is connected to a button that is located on the back of your wheelchair and that you operate with the head. Here are the main comments that emerged from the meeting with them.

 

Photograph of the button to operate Mouse4all

They got to know the Mouse4all box in an edition of the Albacete Low Cost Conference and since then they have been in contact with the company directly to adjust the functional aspects.

At a technological level, it gives them something very new, since it allows them to access a touch device such as the Tablet. Until now they had PC management options thanks to virtual mice.

They identify it as a very intuitive device, easy to configure and without a high level of technological expertise, it can be put into operation very easily. It seems to them that it is a device clearly designed for people with cerebral palsy.

The therapist values ​​that Mouse4all adapts to a very wide range of people, with a significant disability, functional diversity, cognitive impairment, with a limited level of literacy, etc ...

In the case of APAM, those who were involved in the training of people who use mouse4all were the professionals in charge of the computer rooms, with profiles of therapist and speech therapist.

Some of the APAM users came from using virtual mice or other movement systems and it took approximately 3 months to become fully familiar. First, they use the device only in the center and little by little it is introduced into the day-to-day of the person, until they take it to their own home so that they can use it independently with their own family.

Regarding the configuration of the box, the therapist points out that they had to learn the general terms of the device, and subsequently know how to identify the communication and management needs required by the end user. An action, for example such as "dragging" has had to be guided according to the people. Mouse4all menus were made with the collaboration of APAM, they were validating the levels and their design.

APAM adapt the configuration depending on the game or application to be used. For example, games with large or small icons vary "speed" of the sweep.

He points out that the best is a practical and functional solution, which allows access to technologies to people who really did not have it until now. Above all, they normalize the participation and benefit of the collective of people with cerebral palsy, they use the same games and applications as everyone else.

They highlight the possibilities of using Social Networks and communication alternatives, for example through the Facebook icons / emojis, allowing them to speak for themselves, choose who they add, who they talk to, etc ... Until now they did not have the ability to choose and Mouse4all, allows you to launch it.

Photography with APAM

 

Usability:  .

Impact:  .

Feeling of Security:  .

Design / Ergonomics:  .

· Memory of functionalities of use:  .

· Accessibility:  .

 

 

Social valuation scores.

Impact and utility:
This item has not been rated/5
It describes to what extent the functionalities of the product are useful and impact on improving the life of the user.
Design and Ergonomics:
This item has not been rated/5
Assessment of how the design of the technological solution adapts to the person to achieve greater comfort and efficiency when using it.
Usability and accessibility:
This item has not been rated/5
Possibility of the device to be used, understood and taken advantage of under equal conditions for anyone.
Ease of acquisition:
This item has not been rated/5
It refers to the possibilities of accessing and acquiring a technological solution by the user.

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