Using cursor measures to determine appropriate computer input assistance for motion-impaired users

Hwang, F. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3243-3869, Keates, S., Langdon, P. and Clarkson, P.J. (2002) Using cursor measures to determine appropriate computer input assistance for motion-impaired users. In: Proceedings of the Second Joint 24th Annual Conference and the Annual Fall Meeting of the Biomedical Engineering Society] [Engineering in Medicine and Biology. IEEE, pp. 2437-2438. ISBN 0-7803-7612-9 doi: 10.1109/IEMBS.2002.1053363

Abstract/Summary

People with motion-impairments can often have difficulty with accurate control of standard pointing devices for computer input. The nature of the difficulties may vary, so to be most effective, methods of assisting cursor control must be suited to each user's needs. The work presented here involves a study of cursor trajectories as a means of assessing the requirements of motion-impaired computer users. A new cursor characteristic is proposed that attempts to capture difficulties with moving the cursor in a smooth trajectory. A study was conducted to see if haptic tunnels could improve performance in "point and click" tasks. Results indicate that the tunnels reduced times to target for those users identified by the new characteristic as having the most difficulty moving in a smooth trajectory. This suggests that cursor characteristics have potential applications in performing assessments of a user's cursor control capabilities which can then be used to determine appropriate methods of assistance.