ARC-Pad: absolute+relative cursor positioning for large displays with a mobile touchscreen

We introduce ARC-Pad (Absolute+Relative Cursor pad), a novel technique for interacting with large displays using a mobile phone’s touchscreen. In ARC-Pad we combine absolute and relative cursor positioning. Tapping with ARCPad causes the cursor to jump to the corresponding location on the screen, providing rapid movement across large distances. For fine position control, users can also clutch using relative mode. Unlike prior hybrid cursor positioning techniques, ARC-Pad does not require an explicit switch between relative and absolute modes. We compared ARCPad with the relative positioning commonly found on touchpads. Users were given a target acquisition task on a large display, and results showed that they were faster with ARC-Pad, without sacrificing accuracy. Users welcomed the benefits associated with ARC-Pad. ACM Classification: H5.2 [Information interfaces and presentation]: User Interfaces – Input devices and strategies General terms: Design, Human Factors

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2009
• Where: UIST
• Authors: David C. McCallum, Pourang Irani
• Keywords: Absolute+Relative Cursor Pad, Large Display, Relative Cursor, Software Engineering, UIST 2009