An Investigation Into the Relationship Between Texture and Human Performance in Steering and Gesture Input Tasks

Abstract

This article experimentally investigates user performances with various surface textures in steering and gesture input tasks. Results reveal that (a) low friction material makes users spend more time on each task, and (b) although low friction material benefits the smoothness of trajectory, it causes more trajectory errors, and (c) users apply less force or pressure with slippery materials during the tasks. These findings are the more significant because they demonstrate that the common glass surface of most tablet surfaces is not the best kind of surface for optimum accuracy or for user satisfaction. The results suggest that users should be free to change the surface texture of the device in order to get natural and realistic haptic feedback according to different tasks and personal preferences.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Minghui Sun

Minghui Sun is a lecturer at Jilin University in China. He is interested in using human–computer interaction methods to solve challenging real-world computing problems in many areas, including multimodal interface (tactile modality), pen-based interface, and tangible interface. He received his M.S. degree from Jilin University and Ph.D. degree from Kochi University of Technology, Japan.

Xiangshi Ren

Xiangshi Ren is a professor in the School of Information at Kochi University of Technology, Japan. His research interests include all aspects of human–computer interaction, particularly multimodal interactions and user interface design. He is a Senior Member of the ACM, a Senior Member of the IEEE, a member of the IPSJ, the IEICE, and the Human Interface Society.

Huawei Tu

Huawei Tu is a postdoc researcher in Swansea University, the United Kingdom. He received his Ph.D. degree at the School of Information of Kochi University of Technology, Japan. His current research interests include user interface design and gesture-based human–computer interaction.

Feng Tian

Feng Tian is a professor in the Institute of Software, Chinese Academy of Sciences, where he is the deputy director of the Intelligence Engineering Lab. He also serves as the chair of the ACM SIGCHI China chapter. His research interests include theories, interaction techniques, and tools in pen-based user interface, multimodal user interface, and psychological computing.