1 research outputs found
The effect of varying path properties in path steering tasks
Path steering is a primitive 3D interaction task that requires the
user to navigate through a path of a given length and width. In a
previous paper, we have conducted controlled experiments in which
users operated a pen input device to steer a cursor through a 3D
path subject to fixed path properties, such as path length, width,
curvature and orientation. From the experimental data we have
derived a model which describes the efficiency of the task.
In this paper, we focus on studying the movement velocity of 3D
manipulation path steering when one or more path properties vary
during the task. We have performed a repeated measures design
experiment of 8 scenarios, including a scenario in which all path
properties were kept constant, 3 scenarios in which the path width,
curvature and orientation varied, 3 scenarios of varying two path
properties, and 1 scenario of varying all properties.
The analysis of our experimental data indicates that a path of
varying orientation or width results in a low average steering
velocity. During a continuous steering, the joint where a change in
path curvature or orientation takes place also significantly
decreases the velocity. In addition, path width and curvature are
highly-correlated to the average velocity of a segment, i.e. the
wider a segment (or the smaller the path curvature), the larger the
average steering velocity on that segment. The results of this work
could serve as guidelines for designing higher level interaction
techniques and better user interfaces for traditional HCI tasks,
e.g. 2D or 3D nested-menu navigation