Multimodal feedback for the acquisition of small targets

Abstract

This paper examines how multimodal feedback assists small-target acquisition in graphical user interfaces. All combinations of three feedback modes are analysed: non-speech audio; tactile; and pseudo-haptic 'sticky' feedback. The tactile conditions used stimulation through vibration (rather than forcefeedback), and the sticky conditions were implemented by dynamically reconfiguring mouse control-display gain as the cursor entered the target. Results show that for small, discretely located targets all feedback modes reduce targeting times, with stickiness providing substantial improvements. Furthermore, stickiness and tactile appear to combine well. However, the results of a more ecologically oriented menu-selection task show the need for caution, revealing that excessive feedback can damage interaction though 'noise' that interferes with the acquisition of neighbouring targets.

Hapto-Acoustic Interaction Metaphors in 3D Virtual Environments for Non-Visual Settings

“…Users had to select targets in a 3D VE in different experimental setups switching from 2D visual feedback to stereo visual feedback, with and without haptic feedback. Results suggested that the haptic feedback provides insignificant benefits in enhancing target selection time especially when stereo graphics is used and are consistent with (Akamatsu et al, 1995), (Cockburn & Brewster, 2005) works. In non-visual setting, the selection task is a quite passive procedure due to the lack of global knowledge of the whole scene; active non-visual selection techniques should provide both a way to show the user the objects available for the selection and tools to select them and to confirm the choice.…”

“…(Vanacken et al, 2009) presents and compares the 3D Bubble cursor, Depth ray and Haptic Lock ray techniques trying to overcome the ray-casting metaphor limitations; the visual and multimodal versions of each metaphor are tested in environments with different degrees of density. To highlight selection and confirmation of targets, 3D Bubble cursor and Depth ray multimodal versions introduce short sinusoidal bumps and earcons (Cockburn & Brewster, 2005). The multimodal feedback for Haptic Lock ray is dynamically activated when the user disambiguates multiple selected targets: the haptic probe behaves as a depth marker, haptically constrained along the ray vector and whenever it intersects an object, the user feels a haptic bump and an earcon.…”

Augmenting graphical user interfaces with haptic assistance for motion-impaired operators

“…For haptic assistance to be effective in realworld GUIs it needs to be generalisable for different target sizes and shape. Previous studies have often reported that the greatest improvements in performance have been observed when the assistance is used with smaller targets (Worden et al, 1997;Cockburn and Brewster, 2005). A further experiment has been conducted to investigate the effect of target size and shape on the performance of the two deformable techniques.…”

“…Previous studies endorse the use of multimodal interaction to aid the selection of small targets (Cockburn and Brewster, 2005). Ideally the operator would be provided with visual cues to help with the understanding of the techniques and to reinforce the haptic interactions.…”

“…Gravity wells are a useful user interface (UI) convention for allowing the operator to more readily select points with the assistance of force feedback (Cockburn and Brewster, 2005). A gravity well can be considered as a bounding volume with a spring force towards the centre of that volume.…”