• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.686-695
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• 2020

The present study evaluated the manual dexterity and usability of conductive gloves when operating touchscreen devices in the cold. Twelve male subjects (23.3±1.5 years in age) participated in three experimental conditions: no gloves, fabric conductive and lambskin conductive gloves. Manual dexterity was tested using both Purdue Pegboard (PP) and ASTM dexterity tests at an air temperature of 5℃ and air humidity of 30%RH. Glove usability was tested through the following touchscreen tests: tap, double tap, long tab, drag, flick, and multi-touch. The results showed that manual dexterity according to the PP (2.5 mm of a pin diameter) and ASTM tests (8 mm of a stick diameter) was worse for the two glove conditions than for the no glove condition (p<.005). PP dexterity was better for the fabric glove condition than for the lambskin glove condition (p<.05); however, there was no difference in ASTM dexterity between the two glove conditions. Hand and finger skin temperatures were higher for the glove conditions than the bare hand condition (p<.05), with no differences between the two glove conditions. The touchscreen usability was the best for the no glove condition, followed by fabric gloves (p<.05). Wearing either fabric or lambskin gloves diminishes hand dexterity while maintaining hand and finger temperatures at higher levels. For improved hand dexterity in dealing with small numbers, letters on a touchscreen in cold environments, we recommend wearing fabric conductive gloves rather than lambskin conductive gloves.