Effect of tilt angle of tablet on pen-based input operation based on Fitts' law

Abstract

-Current studies on tablets and digital pens mainly focus on the modalities of input in the field of HCI (human computer interaction). However, the effect of the changes of environmental parameters on pen-based input operation, such as tilt angle of tablet, has rarely been studied. This paper mainly investigates 1) how pen-based input operation is affected while changing tilt angle of tablet 2) at which tilt angle of tablet, can user do pen-based input operation with comfort, quickness, and accuracy. The conclusions can be got based on the results from the experiments and questionnaire. In order to compare penbased input operation among different tilt angle of tablet (0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 degrees), two experiments of 1-dimensional and 2-dimensional pointing tasks based on Fitts' law were conducted. Results show that when tilt angle of tablet is 30 degrees, it is most suitable for user to do pen-based input operation.Index Terms -HCI, tilt angle of tablet, pen-based input operation, Fitts' law.

Tilting the Tablet

“…This is consistent with prior research indicating that a 30 degree tilt is optimal for pen or stylus input on tablets [12]. …”