Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 5, 2026
09:27
An Emerging Target Paradigm to Evoke Fast Visuomotor Responses on Human Upper Limb Muscles
Published on: August 25, 2020
3.5K
Movement time to edge and non-edge targets.
Coskun Dizmen1, Errol R Hoffmann, Alan H S Chan
1a Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management , City University of Hong Kong , Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong , P.R. China.
Ergonomics
|November 29, 2013
Summary
Capturing targets at the screen edge is faster than targets near the edge. This screen edge advantage, observed in a study of human-computer interaction, offers a consistent time saving of 100 ms.
Area of Science:
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Usability Engineering
- User Interface Design
Background:
- Interface design principles often place interactive elements near screen edges.
- The perceived target size can influence interaction speed and accuracy.
- Previous research suggests potential benefits for targets at screen boundaries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the time difference in target acquisition between screen edge and near-edge targets.
- To investigate the impact of target placement on user interaction efficiency.
- To determine if this effect is dependent on the Fitts' Index of Difficulty (ID).
Main Methods:
- An experiment involving 71 participants performing target acquisition tasks.
- Measured capture times for targets positioned at the screen edge versus one pixel away.
- Utilized a range of Fitts' Index of Difficulty (ID) to assess varying task complexities.
Main Results:
- A significant difference in capture times was observed between screen edge and near-edge targets.
- Targets at the screen edge were acquired faster, demonstrating a clear usability advantage.
- This time advantage was approximately 100 ms and independent of the movement's Fitts' ID.
Conclusions:
- Placing targets directly at the screen edge enhances user interaction speed.
- The observed 100 ms advantage suggests a practical benefit for interface designers.
- This finding challenges conventional UI layouts that maintain a small buffer from the screen edge.
