Barrier pointing
Barrier pointing (or "edge pointing") is a term used in human–computer interaction to describe a design technique in which targets are placed on the peripheral borders of touchscreen interfaces to aid in motor control.[1] Where targets are placed alongside raised edges on mobile devices, the user has a physical barrier to aid navigation, useful for situational impairments such as walking;[2] similarly, screen edges that stop the cursor mean that targets placed along screen edges require less precise movements to select.[1] This allows the most common or important functions to be placed on the edge of a user interface, while other functions that may require more precision can utilise the interface's 'open space'.
Barrier pointing is also a term used in accessible design, as a design technique that makes targets easier to press. For example, barrier pointing using raised edges on touchscreens, alongside a stylus and a 'lift-off' or 'take-off' selection mode, can improve usability for a user with cerebral palsy.[2]
One example of assistive technology focused on barrier pointing is the SUPPLE system, which redesigns the size, shape, and arrangement of interfaces based on its measurement of motor articulation input.[3][4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Appert, Chapuis, Beaudouin-Lafon (2008). "Evaluation of pointing performance on screen edges". Proceedings of the working conference on Advanced visual interfaces. pp. 119–126. doi:10.1145/1385569.1385590. ISBN 9781605581415. S2CID 11655191.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Wobbrock, Kane, Jacob O., Shaun (210). "Ability-Based Design: Concept, Principles and Examples" (PDF). ACM.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Gajos, Weld, Wobbrock, K.Z., D.S., J.O. (2010). "Automatically generating personalized user interfaces with SUPPLE". Artificial Intelligence. 174 (12–13): 910–950. doi:10.1016/j.artint.2010.05.005.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Wobbrock, Gajos. "A comparison of area pointing and goal crossing for people with and without motor impairments". Proceedings of the ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '07) (New York: ACM Press): 3–10.
Bibliography
[edit]- Farris, J. S., Jones, K. S. and Anders, B. A. (2001). "Acquisition speed with targets on the edge of the screen: An application of Fitts' Law to commonly used web browser controls." Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 45th Annual Meeting (HFES '01). Santa Monica, California: Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, pp. 1205–1209.
- Johnson, B. R., Farris, J. S. and Jones, K. S. (2003). "Selection of web browser controls with and without impenetrable borders: Does width make a difference?" Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 47th Annual Meeting (HFES '03). Santa Monica, California: Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, pp. 1380–1384.
- Wobbrock, J. O. (2003). "The benefits of physical edges in gesture-making: Empirical support for an edge-based unistroke alphabet." Extended Abstracts of the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '03). New York: ACM Press, pp. 942–943.
- Walker, N. and Smelcer, J. B. (1990). "A comparison of selection time from walking and bar menus." Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '90). New York: ACM Press, pp. 221–225.