Expanding Side Touch Input on Mobile Phones: Finger Reachability and Two-Dimensional Taps and Flicks using the Index and Thumb
ACM ISS 2020
University of Waterloo
Abstract
We investigate the performance of one-handed touch input on the side of a mobile phone. A first experiment examines grip change and subjective preference when reaching for side targets using different fingers. Results show all locations can be reached with at least one finger, but the thumb and index are most preferred and require less grip change for positions along the sides. Two following experiments examine taps and flicks using the thumb and index finger in a new two-dimensional input space. A side-touch sensor is simulated with a combination of capacitive sensing and motion tracking to distinguish touches on the lower, middle, or upper edges. When tapping, index and thumb speeds are similar with thumb more accurate and comfortable, and the lower edge is most reliable with the middle edge most comfortable. When flicking with the thumb, the upper edge is fast and rated highly.
ACM Citation Format
Yen-Ting Yeh, Quentin Roy, Antony Albert Raj Irudayaraj, and Daniel Vogel. 2020. Expanding Side Touch Input on Mobile Phones: Finger Reachability and Two-Dimensional Taps and Flicks using the Index and Thumb. Proc. ACM Hum.-Comput. Interact. 4, ISS, Article 206 (November 2020), 20 pages. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1145/3427334