Design and validation of an improved graphical user interface with the 'Tool ball'

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Software Engineering
• User Interface Design

Background:

• Traditional software operation relies on mouse clicks for toolbar functions.
• Existing graphical user interfaces (GUIs) can lead to cluttered screens and slower operation.
• Mouse wheel functionality is often underutilized in current software designs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce an improved graphical user interface (GUI) design called a 'tool ball'.
• To verify the operational efficiency of the proposed tool ball interface.
• To explore alternative mouse-based interaction methods beyond traditional clicking.

Main Methods:

• Design of a novel 'tool ball' interface operated via mouse wheel.
• Experimental comparison of the tool ball (mouse wheel + tool ball) versus traditional methods (mouse click + tool button).
• Measurement of time taken to operate specific software functions using both interaction methods.

Main Results:

• The tool ball interface significantly accelerates the speed of operating software functions.
• The proposed GUI design leads to a reduction in the number of on-screen icons.
• The study demonstrates expanded applications for the mouse wheel in software interaction.

Conclusions:

• The tool ball GUI offers a more efficient method for software operation compared to traditional interfaces.
• This innovative design optimizes user interaction by leveraging the mouse wheel.
• The findings suggest potential for more intuitive and streamlined software controls.