Overview
EN ISO 9241-910:2011 - "Ergonomics of human‑system interaction - Part 910: Framework for tactile and haptic interaction" (ISO 9241-910:2011) defines a common framework, terminology and conceptual models for tactile and haptic interactions. It helps designers, engineers and researchers describe and communicate tactile/haptic modalities consistently across interactive systems. The standard is applicable to all interactive systems that use tactile or haptic devices (including force‑feedback devices and multi‑point tactile interfaces) and complements other ISO 9241 parts addressing human‑centred design and input devices. It does not specifically cover purely kinaesthetic interactions (e.g., gestures), although its framework can inform understanding of those interactions.
Key topics
- Terminology and definitions for tactile/haptic concepts to reduce ambiguity across research and development.
- Structures and models that describe how tactile/haptic elements relate to tasks, objects and user perception.
- Human haptic exploration: overview of perceptual considerations (thresholds, discrimination, geometric and material property perception) and the interaction between haptics and vision.
- User‑initiated task primitives such as searching, overviewing, navigating, targeting, selection and manipulation - useful for mapping interaction techniques to user goals.
- Design guidance including tactile/haptic space, addressability, resolution, distinguishability, multi‑point contact and combinations of effects.
- Device range and selection criteria, with informative annexes covering tactile devices, force‑feedback (haptic) devices and physiology of haptics.
Keywords: ISO 9241-910:2011, tactile, haptic, ergonomics, human‑system interaction, force feedback, tactile devices, design guidelines.
Applications and who uses it
- UX and interaction designers: to design consistent, usable tactile/haptic feedback strategies for desktop, mobile and wearable interfaces.
- HCI researchers and academics: to provide a shared vocabulary and conceptual models for experiments and reporting.
- Hardware and firmware engineers: to guide selection and specification of tactile actuators and force‑feedback hardware.
- Accessibility specialists: to apply tactile/haptic interaction where visual or auditory channels are limited.
- Domain specialists in medical simulators, robotics, gaming, assistive technologies and multimodal simulators who integrate tactile/haptic feedback into systems.
Practical benefits include improved usability, clearer requirements for device selection, and better alignment between human perceptual capabilities and interaction design.
Related standards
- ISO 9241 family (human‑centred design and input device guidance), notably ISO 9241‑920 (Guidance on tactile and haptic interactions) and other parts covering input devices and human‑centred design (e.g., ISO 9241‑210). These documents together support coherent, ergonomic tactile/haptic system development.
