The Reachable Arc
The reachable arc
Held in one hand, the thumb sweeps an arc pivoting at the bottom corner; everything frequent belongs inside it, and the top far corner is the worst real estate on the device.
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Section 01 · 4 pieces
The Reachable Arc
What one hand can actually touch.
Held in one hand, the thumb sweeps an arc pivoting at the bottom corner; everything frequent belongs inside it, and the top far corner is the worst real estate on the device
Photo: Artem Podrez / Pexels
Every control on a phone is placed relative to a pivot at the corner of the hand. This section is about what that pivot allows: how far a thumb travels before it costs something, how big a target has to be before a fingertip finds it, and what the hand hides while it works.
Everything in The Reachable Arc
The Reachable Arc
Touch targets
Apple's 44 points and Google's 48dp exist because a fingertip is about a centimetre across and carries no cursor.
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The Reachable Arc
Occlusion
The hand covers what it touches, which is why feedback appears above the finger.
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The Reachable Arc
One hand versus two
Grip changes with context, and a design that assumes two hands loses the commute.
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