Towards Better Command Selection Mechanisms for GUIs

输入设备的不断改进和新交互技术的发展使得研究人员和实践者都很难确定图形命令选择机制的关键特征。在这个项目中，PI将通过开发图形界面中使用的命令选择机制的新分类来解决这个问题。我们的目标是确定每种技术的基本特征，了解每种特征的优缺点，并研究它们可能的相互作用。为此，PI将开发一种符号，为比较现有技术提供强大的工具，并将作为传感和交互设计领域未来卓有成效的发展的路线图。借鉴以前的模型(例如戈姆斯家族)，PI的符号将建立在对与命令选择相关的关键特征的系统研究和经验评估的基础上。这将允许准确预测新技术的性能，并提供对不同选项在为新设备系列创建命令选择机制时的相对重要性的清晰、定量的了解。作为这一阶段工作的一部分，PI将调查用户如何从需要视觉反馈的操作模式转变为主要依赖肌肉记忆的操作模式。虽然前者已被菲特定律和阿科特定律较好地理解和捕捉，但后者在实验上仍未被探索。这一研究领域将使用眼球跟踪技术作为其主要调查工具。最后，PI将通过重新评估现有技术以及为平板电脑开发基于目标交叉而不是指向和点击的高效新界面来说明他的符号的潜力。最近的实验结果表明，在许多常见的任务中，目标交叉至少和目标一样有效。这使得目标交叉范式成为笔计算的一种流动而高效的命令选择机制的有力竞争者。广泛的影响：通过更好地了解硬件、交互结构和用户技能水平之间的相互作用，本研究将为系统地探索设计空间奠定坚实的基础。PI的发现将降低基本图形命令选择的内在复杂性。特别是，从程序性交互过渡到自主交互的研究将有助于中级用户更快地达到专业性能，并提高对困难交互的易用性，例如导航级联菜单。最后，探索一种基于目标交叉的新交互范式将使笔式系统的用户能够更流畅地与这些设备进行交互。该项目这一部分的主要成果之一将是一个基于目标交叉互动的新工具包，PI将向其他研究人员免费提供该工具包。

Continuing improvements in input devices and the development of new interaction techniques make it difficult for researchers and practitioners alike to identify the key traits of graphical command selection mechanisms. In this project, the PI will address this problem by developing a new taxonomy of command selection mechanisms used in graphical interfaces. The goal is to identify the fundamental traits of each technique, understand the pros and cons of each of these traits, and study their possible interactions. To this end, the PI will develop a notation that provides a powerful tool for comparing existing technique, and that will also serve as a road map for fruitful future development in the domains of sensing and interaction design. Following the example of previous models (e.g. the GOMS family), the PI's notation will be grounded in systematic study and empirical evaluations of the key traits relevant to command selection. This will allow for accurate predictions of the performance of new techniques and provide a clear, quantitative understanding of the relative importance of different options in creating command selection mechanisms for new families of devices. As part of this phase of the work, the PI will investigate how users transition from a mode of operation requiring visual feedback to a mode of operation relying mostly on muscle memory. While the former is relatively well understood and captured by Fitt's and Accot's laws, the latter is still experimentally unexplored. This line of study will use eye-tracking technology as its main investigative tool. Finally, the PI will illustrate the potential of his notation by re-evaluating existing techniques, and by developing an efficient new interface for tablet computers based on goal-crossing instead of pointing-and-clicking. Recent empirical results have shown that goal crossing is at least as efficient as aiming in many common tasks. This makes the goal-crossing paradigm a strong contender as a fluid and efficient command selection mechanism for pen computing.Broader Impact: By providing a better understanding of the interplay among hardware, interaction structure, and user skill level, this research will create a solid foundation for a systematic exploration of the design space. The PI's findings will reduce the intrinsic complexity of basic graphical command selection. In particular, the studies on the transition from procedural to autonomous interaction will help intermediate users reach expert performance more rapidly, and improve ease of use for difficult interactions such as navigating a cascading menu. Finally, exploration of a new interaction paradigm based on goal-crossing will allow users of pen-based systems to interact more fluidly with these devices. One of the main outcomes of this part of the project will be a new toolkit based on goal-crossing interactions, which the PI will make freely available to other researchers.