Multi-finger cursor techniques

ABSTRACT

The mouse cursor acts as a digital proxy for a finger on graphical displays. Our hands, however, have ten fingers and many degrees of freedom that we use to interact with the world. We posit that by creating graphical cursors that reflect more of the hand's physical properties, we can allow for richer and more fluid interaction. We demonstrate this idea with three new cursors that are controlled by the user's fingers using a multi-point touchpad. The first two techniques allow for simultaneous control of several properties of graphical objects, while the third technique makes several enhancements to object selection.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.2 User Interfaces (D.2.2, H.1.2, I.3.6)
          Subjects: Interaction styles (e.g., commands, menus, forms, direct manipulation)

Additional Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.2 User Interfaces (D.2.2, H.1.2, I.3.6)
          Subjects: Input devices and strategies (e.g., mouse, touchscreen)

Keywords:
cursors, high degree-of-freedom input, multi-touch interfaces