Describe the problem
It is frustratingly slow and awkward-feeling to tap multiple times to recall letters as a mouse / touchscreen / mobile user.
Additionally, on iPhone, double-tapping is a gesture for magnifying the screen. In this case, trying to rapidly recall letters will often result in zooming in and out on the screen instead of actually recalling a letter. This adds unnecessary time and frustration. Time is wasted either having to un-magnify the screen, or the user needs to be conscious of needing to tap slower, which is not intuitive to do and still adds precious seconds when the time is ticking by.
This issue more frequently occurs after the first word has been completed (see image for example).
Describe the proposed solution
When using all the letters results in a completely incorrect word (e.g. word is "mower" but "merow" is typed), it would be quicker, especially for mouse / touchscreen / mobile user, to have one button to recall all of the letters instead of having to tap each one individually.
Alternatives considered
Drag & drop letters: User clicks/taps and drags letters from "in play" to "out of play" area. This is not as quick as an all-at-once recall button, but would avoid iPhone doubletap-to-zoom issue, and might be a comfortable gesture to use. See example image:
Swipe backward gesture: similar to drag & drop, but this alternative feature would primarily serve mobile users. A quick swipe backwards (like a backspace) would clear the board of any incomplete words. An equivalent feature on PC this could result in highlighting the letters and then the backspace key could be used to clear all highlighted letters. See example image:
Additional Information
Feel free to contact me with any questions.
Describe the problem
It is frustratingly slow and awkward-feeling to tap multiple times to recall letters as a mouse / touchscreen / mobile user.
Additionally, on iPhone, double-tapping is a gesture for magnifying the screen. In this case, trying to rapidly recall letters will often result in zooming in and out on the screen instead of actually recalling a letter. This adds unnecessary time and frustration. Time is wasted either having to un-magnify the screen, or the user needs to be conscious of needing to tap slower, which is not intuitive to do and still adds precious seconds when the time is ticking by.
This issue more frequently occurs after the first word has been completed (see image for example).
Describe the proposed solution
When using all the letters results in a completely incorrect word (e.g. word is "mower" but "merow" is typed), it would be quicker, especially for mouse / touchscreen / mobile user, to have one button to recall all of the letters instead of having to tap each one individually.
Alternatives considered
Drag & drop letters: User clicks/taps and drags letters from "in play" to "out of play" area. This is not as quick as an all-at-once recall button, but would avoid iPhone doubletap-to-zoom issue, and might be a comfortable gesture to use. See example image:
Swipe backward gesture: similar to drag & drop, but this alternative feature would primarily serve mobile users. A quick swipe backwards (like a backspace) would clear the board of any incomplete words. An equivalent feature on PC this could result in highlighting the letters and then the backspace key could be used to clear all highlighted letters. See example image:
Additional Information
Feel free to contact me with any questions.