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Count me in as another vote for "touch," although I'd omit the "tell
your colleague to grow up" part.
"Touch" is simply the verb that's most in-line with what you want the
user to do.
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+vincent -dot- latella=saic -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+vincent -dot- latella=saic -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Downing, David
Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2008 9:42 AM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: Interacting with a touchscreen
From: "Boudreaux, Madelyn (GE Healthcare, consultant)"
<MadelynBoudreaux -at- ge -dot- com>
Subject: Interacting with a touchscreen
I'm trying to institute using unique and appropriate verbs for
interacting with different input devices in documents: press a key,
click an on-screen button, etc., so that a user never has to wonder
which device is being referenced when she sees a given verb.
Unfortunately, we have some devices that have certain buttons on a
touchscreen,
[snip]
"Touch," is, in the words of one person, "creepy." There are no more
good touches, only bad ones, I guess. To be fair, I hate it in this
usage; it's so very passive sounding, even in conjunction with
"touchscreen."
[snip]
-------------------------------------
Personally, I think "touch" is the logical choice. It doesn't
necessarily have to be creepy because it doesn't have to have the
connotation "touch another person in an inappropriate manner." I mean,
hey, we all touch many things every day.
BTW, I see you used the "generic she" in your first paragraph. I don't
think that's a satisfactory solution to the sexist pronoun problem
because it excludes men in the same way that the generic he excludes
women.
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