The effects of walking and control method on pressure-based interaction

Pressure-based interactions have largely been limited to static scenarios; very few have focused on its use on mobile devices and even fewer have investigated the use of pressure while the user is in motion (i.e. walking). Pressure input is well suited to mobile interaction as mobile devices almost universally adopt touch and gestural input. This paper presents the initial results of research looking into the effects of walking on the application of pressure during linear targeting. Positional and rate-based (velocity) control methods are compared in order to determine which allows for more stable and accurate selections. Results suggest that rate-based control is superior for both mobile (walking) and static (sitting) linear targeting and that mobility significantly increases errors, selection time and subjective workload. These results will influence the design of a second part of the study, which will evaluate user ability to control the same application using only audio feedback.