Author: Ken Hinckley

main argument

Interaction designers should consider

  1. Search strategies
    • đź”— I love Obsidian’s search and data organization functions
  2. Sensor inputs enabling new data types
  3. Synthesis techniques to extract meaningful structure from data
  4. Integration of traditional technologies (e.g. paper)

supporting information

  • Properties of input devices
    • Property sensed
      • Absolute input device
        • Position sensing
      • Relative input device
        • Visual feedback
        • Motion sensing
          • Clutching: readjustment of device (e.g. mouse)
    • Number of dimensions
    • Indirect versus direct
    • Device acquisition / homing time
    • Gain
      • Distance moved by an input device divided by the distance moved on the display
  • Device types
    • Mice
    • Trackballs
      • Small footprint
      • Frequent tracking
    • Isometric joysticks
      • Return to center
      • Rate of cursor movement is proportional to force exerted
    • Isotonic joysticks
      • Sense angle of deflection
    • Isotonic joysticks
    • Indirect tablets
    • Touchpads (trackpads)
    • Touchscreens and pen-operated devices
  • Elemental tasks
    • Text
    • Select
    • Position
    • Quantify
  • Compound tasks
    • View tasks as hierarchies of subtasks
      • Elemental nature depends on device
    • Chunking encourages the user to work at the higher level of the compound task
  • Fitts’ law demonstrates that the movement time to a target depends on the size of and the distance to the target
  • Hick’s law states that the longer the list, the longer it takes to make a selection
  • The Steering Law predicts that movement time is a linear function of A and W
  • The Minimum Jerk Law states that unconstrained human movement trajectories tend to minimize the derivative of acceleration
  • The Keystroke-Level Model can be used to estimate the time needed for experts to complete a routine task
    • Goals, Objects, Methods, and Selection rules (GOMS) extends this
  • The power law of practice describes the automation of skills in procedural memory