An Empirical and Theoretical Evaluation of BinScroll: A Rapid Selection Technique for Alphanumeric Lists

Abstract: Searching for an item in an ordered list is a frequently reoccurring task while using computers. The search can be carried out in several ways. In this paper, we present a new, efficient technique to find an alphanumeric item in a sorted list. This technique, called BinScroll, is based on the well-known binary search algorithm. BinScroll can be used with a minimum of four buttons, making it ideal for keyboardless mobile use. It can also be implemented with a minimum of one line of text, making it suitable for devices with limited screen space or text-only displays. Our evaluation showed that after 15 minutes of training, a novel user is able to locate any item from a list of 10,000 movie names in 14 seconds on average, and an expert user with a few hours of learning can find any item in about seven seconds. This makes it one of the most efficient selection techniques when long lists are concerned.