Where Does the Mouse Go? An Investigation into the Placement of a Body-Attached TouchPad Mouse for Wearable Computers

Abstract: We investigated the effects of placement of a TouchPad input device on a user’s body for the control of a wearable computer. This study involved 25 subjects performing selection tasks with a TouchPad mouse while wearing a wearable computer on their back and using a head-mounted display. Each subject performed the tasks in 27 different combinations of four postures (sitting, kneeling, standing and prone) and seven different placements of the TouchPad mouse on the subject’s body (forearm, thigh by 2, torso by 2, and upper arm by 2). We measured the time and error rate to complete the selection of a circular target. The results for the effects due to posture showed that there were similar time effects for sitting, standing and kneeling. When examining the effects resulting from mouse position, the front of the thigh was shown to be the best position of the mouse. When the posturing and mouse position conditions were combined, the results indicated that the thigh front mouse position would be most appropriate for sitting, kneeling and standing postures, and the forearm mouse position would be best for the prone position.

[1]  Chris Esposito.  Wearable Computers: Field-Test Results and System Design Guidelines , 1997, INTERACT.

[2]  I. Scott MacKenzie,et al.  Fitts' Law as a Research and Design Tool in Human-Computer Interaction , 1992, Hum. Comput. Interact..

[3]  Amy R. Pritchett,et al.  Preliminary investigation of wearable computers for task guidance in aircraft inspection , 1998, Digest of Papers. Second International Symposium on Wearable Computers (Cat. No.98EX215).

[4]  Richard Martin,et al.  Design for wearability , 1998, Digest of Papers. Second International Symposium on Wearable Computers (Cat. No.98EX215).

[5]  Paul Kabbash,et al.  Human performance using computer input devices in the preferred and non-preferred hands , 1993, INTERCHI.

[6]  Gerd Kortuem,et al.  "Where are you pointing at?" A study of remote collaboration in a wearable videoconference system , 1999, Digest of Papers. Third International Symposium on Wearable Computers.

[7]  P. Fitts.  The information capacity of the human motor system in controlling the amplitude of movement. , 1954, Journal of experimental psychology.

[8]  Jane Siegel,et al.  A field usability evaluation of a wearable system , 1997, Digest of Papers. First International Symposium on Wearable Computers.

[9]  Sarah A. Douglas,et al.  Testing pointing device performance and user assessment with the ISO 9241, Part 9 standard , 1999, CHI '99.

[10]  Mark Krichever,et al.  Development of a commercially successful wearable data collection system , 1998, Digest of Papers. Second International Symposium on Wearable Computers (Cat. No.98EX215).

[11]  I. Scott MacKenzie,et al.  A comparison of three selection techniques for touchpads , 1998, CHI.

[12]  Shumin Zhai,et al.  What You Feel Must Be What You See: Adding Tactile Feedback to the Trackpoint , 1999, INTERACT.

[13]  Leonard J. Bass,et al.  The design of a wearable computer , 1997, CHI.

[14]  Leonard J. Bass,et al.  Adtranz: a mobile computing system for maintenance and collaboration , 1998, Digest of Papers. Second International Symposium on Wearable Computers (Cat. No.98EX215).