Why touch-screen interface is more intuitive than a mouse?

Touch screens offer an immediate access to onscreen objects. The user fingers play a key role for selecting and activating things displayed on the screen. A mouse would require the user to track and control a virtual cursor and synchronize the mouse movement with it. Many users have a hard time learning this. As a rule of thumb the older the user the less chance for him to learn using a mouse. Very young users (toddlers and preschoolers) also need some time to get the mouse/cursor idea. Regardless of age and education, touch screen users begin efficiently using the interface as soon as they realize they can touch the visual objects.

Employing a touch screen alone however is not sufficient. The user interface, e.g. the screen layout, the object design, the button and menu behavior, etc. have to resemble real-world objects and concepts. For instance, a button named “Exit” and an open exit door icon are the same concept, however the graphical icon is much closer to real world experience and users enjoy it more. An important point in a successful touch screen interface is to simulate real world experience based on physics – e.g. gravity and traction must be an integral part of all on-screen interactions. If I push a book on a table top, it will slide a little after I release it and will stop. And I expect it to behave this way. My mind finds this behavior “natural”. If the virtual book stops immediately after I pick my hand off the screen surface, my mind registers that as “unnatural” and this causes some tension in it. Objects acting “funny” might be interesting for starters but it distracts the mind from its primary focus.