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Most of us interact with USB-cables daily when charging our devices. The USB Type-C standards have been widely adopted in various consumer electronics products and have gradually replaced previous standards such as USB Type-A. There seems to be a consensus that Type-C is an improvement over previous connector technology. This study addresses this position by focusing on the tangible characteristics of USB cables. Probably the most noticeable physical difference between Type-C and Type-A is that there is only one way to connect a Type-A connector while a Type-C connector can be plugged in both ways. The flexibility of Type-C connectors should suggest a higher level of usability and accessibility than Type-A as the task is less visually intensive. To explore this, we conducted a small experiment (N = 17) to observe the task completion times and error rates associated with the two types of USB connectors. The results showed that the Type-C indeed was associated with a significantly shorter task completion time and fewer errors compared to Type-A giving support to claims that USB Type-C is an improvement over Type-A from an operational perspective.

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Interacting Physically with USB Cables: Are Type-C Connectors More Usable Than Type-A?

  • 会议论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年

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  • Jonas Bjerke,
  • Elise Strand Bråtveit,
  • Brede Børresen,
  • Kristian Grytdal,
  • Frode Eika Sandnes

摘要

Most of us interact with USB-cables daily when charging our devices. The USB Type-C standards have been widely adopted in various consumer electronics products and have gradually replaced previous standards such as USB Type-A. There seems to be a consensus that Type-C is an improvement over previous connector technology. This study addresses this position by focusing on the tangible characteristics of USB cables. Probably the most noticeable physical difference between Type-C and Type-A is that there is only one way to connect a Type-A connector while a Type-C connector can be plugged in both ways. The flexibility of Type-C connectors should suggest a higher level of usability and accessibility than Type-A as the task is less visually intensive. To explore this, we conducted a small experiment (N = 17) to observe the task completion times and error rates associated with the two types of USB connectors. The results showed that the Type-C indeed was associated with a significantly shorter task completion time and fewer errors compared to Type-A giving support to claims that USB Type-C is an improvement over Type-A from an operational perspective.