Abstract
Multi-scale interfaces make it possible to investigate Fitts’ law beyond 10 bits, so far an inviolable barrier of difficulty. We hadcomputer users, equipped with a zoom, point at visual targets whose index of difficulty (ID) varied between 3 and 30 bits. The zoom was ignored for easy targets and began to be used at ID = 8bits, with zooming amplitude then increasing linearly with the ID. A linear, zero-intercept Fitts’ law equation was found to accurately model target acquisition time throughout our extended spectrum of IDs. Some implications of these findings for human-computer interaction and basic research are discussed.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Accot, J. & Zhai, S. (1999), Performance Evaluation of Input Devices in Trajectory-based Tasks: An Application of Steering Law, in M. G. Williams, M. W. Altom, K. Ehrlich & W. Newman (eds.), Proceedings of the CHI99 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems: The CHI is the Limit, ACM Press, pp.466–472.
Bederson, B. B. & Hollan, J. D. (1994), Pad++: A Zooming Graphical Interface for Exploring Alternate Interface Physics, in S. Feiner (ed.), Proceedings of the ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology, UIST’94, ACM Press, pp. 17–26.
Benhamou, S. & Bovet, P. (1992), “Distinguishing between Elementary Orientation Mechanisms by Means of Path Analysis”, Animal Behavior 43, 371–7.
Bourgeois, F., Guiard, Y. & Beaudouin-Lafon, M. (2001), Pan-zoom Coordination in Multi-scale Pointing, in J. A. Jacko&A. Sears (eds.), Companion Proceedings of CHI2001: Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI200I Conference Companion), ACM Press, pp. 157–8.
Card, S., English, W. & Burr, B. (1978), “Evaluation of Mouse, Rate-controlled Isometric Joystick, Step-keys and Text Keys for Text Selection on a CRT”, Ergonomics 21, 601–13.
Douglas, S., Kirkpatrick, A. & MacKenzie, I. (1999), Testing Pointing Device Performance and User Assessment with the ISO 9241, Part 9 Standard, in M. G. Williams, M. W. Altom, K. Ehrlich & W Newman (eds.), Proceedings of the CHI99 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems: The CHI is the Limit, ACM Press, pp.215–22.
Fitts, P. M. (1954), “The Information Capacity of the Human Motor System in Controlling Amplitude of Movement”, British Journal of Educational Psychology 47(6), 381–91.
Fitts, P. M. & Peterson, J. R. (1964), “Information Capacity of Discrete Motor Responses”, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 67(2), 103–12.
Furnas, G. W. & Bederson, B. B. (1995), Space-scale Diagrams Understanding Multiscale Diagrams, in I. Katz, R. Mack, L. Marks, M. B. Rosson & J. Nielsen (eds.), Proceedings of CHI’95: Human Factors in Computing Systems, ACM Press, pp.234–41.
Gan, K. C. & Hoffmann, E. R. (1988), “Geometrical Conditions for Ballistic and Visually Controlled Movements”, Ergonomics 31(5), 829–39.
Guiard, Y. (1987), “Asymmetric Division of Labor in Human Skilled Bimanual Action: The Kinematic Chain as a Model”, Journal of Motor Behaviour 19(4), 486–517.
Guiard, Y. (1997), “Fitts’ Law in the Discrete vs. Continuous Paradigm”, Human Movement Science 16, 97–131.
Guiard, Y. (2001), Disentangling Realtive From Absolute Amplitute in Fitt’s Law Experiments, in J. A. Jacko & A. Sears (eds.), Companion Proceedings of CHI2001: Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI2001 Conference Companion), ACM Press, pp.315–8.
Guiard, Y. & Ferrand, T. (1996), Asymmetry in Bimanual Skills, in D. Elliott & E. Roy (eds.), Manual Asymmetries in Motor Performance, CRC Press, pp. 175–95.
Guiard, Y, Beaudouin-Lafon, M. & Mottet, D. (1999), Navigation as Multiscale Pointing: Extending Fitts’ Model to Very High Precision Tasks, in M. G. Williams, M. W. Altom, K. Ehrlich & W. Newman (eds.), Proceedings of the CHI99 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems: The CHI is the Limit, ACM Press, pp.450–7.
Jul, S. & Furnas, G. W. (1998), Critical Zones in Desert Fog: Aids to Multiscale Navigation, in B. Schilit (ed.), Proceedings of the ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology, UIST’98, ACM Press, pp.97–106.
Kabbash, P., MacKenzie, I. & Buxton, W. (1993), Human Performance Using Computer Input Devices in the Preferred and Non-preferred Hands, in S. Ashlund, K. Mullet, A. Henderson, E. Hollnagel & T. White (eds.), Proceedings of INTERCHI’93, ACM Press/IOS Press, pp.474–81.
MacKenzie, I. (1992), “Fitts’ Law as a Research and Design Tool in Human-Computer Interaction”, Human-Computer Interaction 7, 91–139.
MacKenzie, I. & Zhang, S. (1999), The Design and Evaluation of a High-performance Soft Keyboard, in M. G. Williams, M. W. Altom, K. Ehrlich & W. Newman (eds.), Proceedings of the CHI99 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems: The CHI is the Limit, ACM Press, pp.25–31.
Meyer, D., Smith, J., Kornblum, S., Abrams, R. & Wright, C. (1990), Speed-accuracy tradeoffs in aimed movements: Toward a theory of rapid voluntary action, in M. Jeannerod (ed.), Attention and Performance XIII, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pp. 173–226.
Perlin, K. & Fox, D. (1993), Pad: An Alternative Approach to the Computer Interface, in Proceedings of SIGGRAPH’93 20th Annual Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, Computer Graphics (Annual Conference Series) 27, ACM Press, pp.57–64.
Robertson, G., van Dantzich, M., Robbins, D., Czerwinski, M., Hinckley, K., Risden, K., Thiel, D. & Gorokhovsky, V. (2000), The Task Gallery: A 3D Window Manager, in T. Turner, G. Szwillus, M. Czerwinski & F. Paternò (eds.), Proceedings of the CHI2000 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI Letters 2(1), ACM Press, pp.494–501.
Schmidt, R., Zelaznik, H., Hawkins, B., Frank, J. & Quinn Jr., J. (1979), “Motor Output Variability: A Theory for the Accuracy of Rapid Motor Acts”, Psychological Review 86, 415–51.
Shneiderman, B. (1997), Designing Information Abundant Websites: Issues and Recommendations, http://wwwxs.umd.edu/hcil/members/slmeiderman/ijhcs/ijhcs.html.
Welford, A. (1968), Fundamentals of Skill, Methuen.
Zhai, S., Hunter, M. & Smith, B. (2000), The Metropolis Keyboard: An Exploration of Quantitative Techniques for Virtual Keyboard Design, in Proceedings of the 13th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology, UIST2000, CHI Letters 2(2), ACM Press, pp. 119–28.
Zhai, S., Morimoto, C. & 1hde, S. (1999), Manual and Gaze Input Cascaded (MAGIC) Pointing, in M. G. Williams, M. W. Altom, K. Ehrlich & W. Newman (eds.), Proceedings of the CHI99 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems: The CHI is the Limit, ACM Press, pp.246–53.
Zhai, S. Smith, B. A. & Selker, T. (1997), Improving Browsing Performances: A Study of Four Input Devices for Scrolling and Pointing Tasks, in S. Howard, J. Hammond & G. K. Lindgaard (eds.), Human-Computer Interaction—INTERACT’ 97: Proceedings of the Sixth IFIP Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, Chapman&Hall, pp.286–93.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2001 Springer-Verlag London
About this paper
Cite this paper
Guiard, Y., Bourgeois, F., Mottet, D., Beaudouin-Lafon, M. (2001). Beyond the 10-bit Barrier: Fitts’ Law in Multi-Scale Electronic Worlds. In: Blandford, A., Vanderdonckt, J., Gray, P. (eds) People and Computers XV—Interaction without Frontiers. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-0353-0_36
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-0353-0_36
Publisher Name: Springer, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-85233-515-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-0353-0
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive