Handows: A Palm-Based Interactive Multi-Window Management System in Virtual Reality

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Virtual Reality
• Ergonomics

Background:

• Virtual reality (VR) window management is challenging due to spatial complexity and physical demands of current interaction methods.
• Existing VR interaction techniques often lead to user fatigue and reduced efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate Handows, a novel palm-based interface for intuitive VR window management.
• To assess Handows' effectiveness in reducing physical effort, head movement, and improving task efficiency and precision compared to existing methods.

Main Methods:

• Developed Handows, a palm-based interface utilizing smartphone-inspired gestures on the non-dominant hand.
• Conducted a user study (N=15) comparing Handows against virtual hand and controller methods for core window operations (selection, closure, positioning, scaling).
• Performed a follow-up case study (N=8) to assess usability in realistic multitasking scenarios.

Main Results:

• Handows significantly reduced physical effort and head movement compared to virtual hand and controller methods.
• The system demonstrated improved task efficiency and interaction precision in VR window management.
• Case studies revealed user-adapted workflows and spontaneous layout strategies in multitasking scenarios.

Conclusions:

• Handows offers a low-effort, spatially coherent interaction method for VR window management.
• Embedding mobile-inspired metaphors into body-centric interfaces shows potential for enhancing VR user experience.
• The findings suggest a new direction for designing intuitive and ergonomic VR interaction systems.