Biomechanics of Thumb Touch Gestures on Handheld Devices

Touch interaction has reached high popularity due to the widespread use of handheld devices. Nowadays, devices with screen sizes above 8 are not uncommon. Grasping such big handheld devices needs two hands to feel comfortable. Consequently, only the two thumbs are available for touch gestures. This work analyzes the biochmechanics of thumb touch interactions. In two scenarios, 18 participants perform single-thumb and dual-thumb sliding gestures. The first scenario incorporates no time constraints while the second does. The results reveal differences in the gesture characteristics between dominant and non-dominant thumb input as well as between single-thumb and dual-thumb input. These findings motivate the necessity of a dynamic thumb interaction model.

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