Circling motion and screen edges as an alternative input method for on-screen target manipulation

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Assistive Technology
• Usability Engineering

Background:

• Traditional pointing devices often require physical activation of mouse buttons, which can be challenging for some users.
• Dwell-clicking interfaces, while an alternative, can be less efficient and accurate for precise object manipulation.
• The need for alternative interaction methods that are efficient, accurate, and compatible with various input devices is critical.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and investigate a new alternative interaction method: the circling interface for manipulating on-screen objects.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of the circling interface in comparison to existing methods like physical mouse and dwelling interfaces.
• To assess performance across different input devices, including normal computer mouse, head pointer, and joystick mouse emulator.

Main Methods:

• An experiment was conducted with 16 participants to evaluate the circling interface.
• Performance on pointing tasks was compared using the circling interface, a physical mouse, and a dwelling interface.
• The study utilized various input devices: a normal computer mouse, a head pointer, and a joystick mouse emulator.

Main Results:

• The circling interface demonstrated higher performance accuracy than the dwelling interface across all tested pointing operations.
• Faster performance was observed with the circling interface when using a head-mounted mouse emulator compared to a joystick mouse.
• The circling interface is compatible with multiple pointing devices and does not require physical mouse button activation.

Conclusions:

• The circling interface shows significant potential as an alternative pointing method for object selection and manipulation in graphical user interfaces.
• This method offers improved efficiency over dwell-clicking and eliminates the need for physical mouse button activation, benefiting users with motor impairments.
• The circling interface is compatible with Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices, enhancing its applicability in clinical and rehabilitation settings.