Dirty desktops: Using a patina of magnetic mouse dust to make common interactor targets easier to select

Amy Hurst, Jennifer Mankoff, Anind K. Dey, Scott E. Hudson

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaperpeer-review

Abstract

A common task in graphical user interfaces is controlling onscreen elements using a pointer. Current adaptive pointing techniques require applications to be built using accessibility libraries that reveal information about interactive targets, and most do not handle path/menu navigation. We present a pseudo-haptic technique that is OS and application independent, and can handle both dragging and clicking. We do this by associating a small force with each past click or drag. When a user frequently clicks in the same general area (e.g., on a button), the patina of past clicks naturally creates a pseudo-haptic magnetic field with an effect similar to that ofsnapping or sticky icons. Our contribution is a bottom-up approach to make targets easier to select without requiring prior knowledge of them.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages183-186
Number of pages4
DOIs
StatePublished - 2007
Event20th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology, UIST 2007 - Newport, RI, United States
Duration: Oct 7 2007Oct 10 2007

Conference

Conference20th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology, UIST 2007
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityNewport, RI
Period10/7/0710/10/07

Keywords

  • Adaptation
  • Mouse
  • Pointer
  • Snapping

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Engineering

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