Circling Interface for Computer Access and Augmentative Communication

描述（由申请人提供）：我们提出开发和评估一种替代方法，用于在图形用户界面（GUI）中基于环绕目标而不是指向和点击来选择和操纵对象。一些残疾人发现很难或不可能一致且有效地执行涉及鼠标左键和右键的操作（例如，左击以选择项目或激活按钮、右击以显示上下文菜单、双击图标以启动应用程序、点击并拖动以移动图标或选择文本）。传统电脑鼠标上的左右按钮已经有几种替代品，包括自适应开关和停留点击软件的界面，但每种方法都有自己的局限性和权衡。循环界面的潜在优势包括：7不需要操作物理按钮或开关; 7不需要将光标定位在目标上足够长的时间来使用停留点击; 7与许多类型的定点设备兼容。 我们将成立一个由8名残疾人士组成的咨询委员会，他们是拟议软件的潜在用户。咨询委员会成员将从匹兹堡联合脑瘫中心和三河独立生活中心的消费者中招募，他们过去曾与辛普森博士就计算机访问需求进行过会面。我们将招募一系列残疾的成员，包括脑瘫，脊髓损伤，帕金森病，肌萎缩侧索硬化症和多发性硬化症。 我们将实现测试平台软件，使我们能够提出各种现实的指向任务，可以通过用鼠标光标环绕目标，按下鼠标按钮，或使用驻留单击软件完成。咨询委员会将在项目的前九个月每月举行会议，审查软件。在两次会议之间，对软件的修订将张贴在项目网站上。顾问委员会将提供有关软件设计各个方面的反馈。 一旦软件完成，我们将比较残疾人在使用圆圈界面进行指向任务时的表现，以及使用左右按钮和停留点击软件进行相同任务时的表现。我们将测试的假设，残疾人用户可以更快，更准确地执行指向操作的目标与一个圆圈界面比物理鼠标按钮或停留点击软件。 所提出的研究，预计将导致在图形用户界面中选择和操纵对象的一种新方法，并预计将是有用的计算机访问和增强通信软件。对于一些残疾人来说，循环界面将比基于开关或停留点击的替代品更有效和准确，并将使计算机和辅助通信设备更容易使用。拟议的循环接口将相对容易地集成到新的和现有的产品中，从而增加商业采用的可能性。 公共卫生相关性：所提出的研究，预计将导致在图形用户界面中选择和操纵对象的一种新方法，并预计将是有用的计算机访问和增强通信软件。循环界面将通过提供不需要物理激活鼠标按钮并且比停留点击更有效的替代指向方法来改善临床实践。我们的目标用户群包括那些难以或不可能操作标准鼠标按钮的人，其中包括使用头部指针，眼动仪和其他没有物理按钮的定点设备的人，以及在使用鼠标，轨迹球和鼠标器等设备上的物理按钮时遇到困难的人。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose to develop and evaluate an alternative method for selecting and manipulating objects in a graphical user interface (GUI) based on circling the target rather than pointing and clicking. Some individuals with disabilities find it difficult or impossible to consistently and efficiently perform operations involving the left and right mouse buttons (e.g., left clicking to select an item or activate a button, right clicking to display a context menu, double-clicking an icon to launch an application, clicking-and-dragging to move an icon or select text). Several alternatives to the left and right buttons on traditional computer mice already exist, including interfaces for adaptive switches and dwell-clicking software, but each approach has its own limitations and trade-offs. Potential advantages of a circling interface include: 7 No need to operate physical buttons or switches; 7 No need to keep the cursor positioned over a target long enough to use dwell-clicking; 7 Compatible with many types of pointing devices. We will establish an advisory board of eight individuals with disabilities who are potential users of the proposed software. Advisory board members will be recruited from the consumers at United Cerebral Palsy of Pittsburgh and Three Rivers Center for Independent Living who have met with Dr. Simpson in the past regarding their computer access needs. We will recruit members with a range of disabilities, including cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and multiple sclerosis. We will implement testbed software that allows us to present a variety of realistic pointing tasks which can be completed by circling the target with the mouse cursor, pressing a mouse button, or using dwell-click software. The advisory board will meet every month for the first nine months of the project to review the software. In between meetings, revisions to the software will be posted on a project website. The advisory board will provide feedback regarding all aspects of the software's design. Once the software is completed, we will compare the performance of individuals with disabilities on pointing tasks with a circling interface to performance on the same tasks when using the left and right buttons and with dwell-clicking software. We will test the hypothesis that users with disabilities can perform the target of pointing operations more quickly and accurately with a circling interface than with physical mouse buttons or dwell-clicking software. The proposed research is expected to result in a novel method for selecting and manipulating objects within graphical user interfaces, and is expected to be useful for both computer access and augmentative communication software. For some individuals with disabilities, a circling interface will be more efficient and accurate than alternatives based on switches or dwell-clicking and will make computers and augmentative communication devices easier to use. The proposed circling interface will be relatively easy to integrate into new and existing products, increasing the likelihood of commercial adoption. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed research is expected to result in a novel method for selecting and manipulating objects within graphical user interfaces, and is expected to be useful for both computer access and augmentative communication software. A circling interface will improve clinical practice by providing an alternative pointing method that does not require physically activating mouse buttons and is more efficient than dwell- clicking. Our target user population consists of people who find it difficult or impossible operate the standard mouse button, which includes people using head-pointers, eye trackers and other pointing devices that don't have physical buttons and people who have trouble using physical buttons on devices like mice, trackballs and joysticks.