The Ergonomics of Computer Pointing DevicesWe first began looking at pointing devices and human performance in 1990 when the senior author, Sarah Douglas, was asked to evaluate the human performance ofa rather novel device: a finger-controlled isometric joystick placed under a key on the keyboard. Since 1990 we have been involved in the development and evaluation ofother isometric joysticks, a foot-controlled mouse, a trackball, and a wearable computer with head mounted display. We unabashedly believe that design and evaluation of pointing devices should evolve from a broad spectrum of values which place the human being at the center. These values include performance iss ues such as pointing-time and errors, physical issues such as comfort and health, and contextual issues such as task usabilityand user acceptance. This book chronicles this six-year history of our relationship as teacher (Douglas) and student (Mithal), as we moved from more traditional evalu ation using Fitts' law as the paradigm, to understanding the basic research literature on psychomotor behavior. During that process we became pro foundly aware that many designers of pointing devices fail to understand the constraints of human performance, and often do not even consider experimental evaluation critical to usability decisions before marketing a device. We also became aware ofthe fact that, contraryto popularbeliefin the human-computer interaction community, the problem of predicting pointing device performance has not been solved by Fitts' law. Similarly, our expectations were biased by the cognitive revolution of the past 15 years with the beliefpointing device research was 'low-level' and uninter esting. |
Contents
1 | |
Human Motor Performance | 11 |
Factors in Applying Psychomotor Studies | 37 |
A Survey of Ergonomic Studies | 63 |
A Case Study | 85 |
Using the Microstructure of Movement | 117 |
Performance Models | 153 |
Challenges of the Present and Future | 189 |
219 | |
231 | |
Other editions - View all
The Ergonomics of Computer Pointing Devices Sarah A. Douglas,Anant Kartik Mithal No preview available - 2011 |
Common terms and phrases
applied behavior Card Chapter cognitive compared CPM-GOMS cursor dataglove described developed device switching differences displacement distance Douglas and Mithal dragging tasks environment Epps ergonomics error rate evaluation example experiment eye tracker Figure finger follow Fitts force goal GOMS model hand haptic home square Human Factors human performance Human-Computer Interaction input device interaction isometric joystick isotonic Jagacinski jitter joystick trial key joystick keyboard Kieras Langolf learning lightpen limb MacKenzie measures ment menu methods Meyer microstructure of movement mode mode-switching motion mouse button move NGOMSL non-linear participants perception pixels pointing action pointing devices pointing movement pointing speed pointing tasks position predict psychomotor repetitive strain injury Rutledge and Selker selection slower stylus submovements Target acquisition target circle target width task analysis Touch screen touch tablet trackball Trackpoint transfer function tremor usability user interface velocity virtual reality visual feedback XYZ Mouse