CHS: Small: Establishing Action Laws for Touch Interaction

理论作用规律和定量模型是任何领域的基础。在人机交互和人机工程学中，菲茨定律是界面和输入设备开发和研究的理论基础之一。它已成为评估输入设备的理论框架，计算界面设计的工具，以及为更复杂的人机交互任务建模的逻辑基础。然而，大量的经验证据表明，菲茨定律和其他现有的行为定律在对触摸交互进行建模时会遇到问题，甚至失败，主要是因为它们没有考虑到手指触摸在交互中的不精确性。这项研究将为触摸交互建立稳健的新动作法则，包括指点和基于轨迹的手势(转向)，这将指导触摸界面的设计和评估，并作为复杂任务建模、计算界面设计和优化的基石。鉴于以触摸输入为主的移动设备的普遍采用，项目成果预计将产生广泛影响，将惠及数百万用户。为了证明新的触摸行为定律的实用价值和有效性，将使用它们来量化老年人的触摸能力，从而为设计适合该用户群体的触摸界面奠定基础。本研究的起点将是从双高斯分布模型和Fitts定律推导出的主要研究者的手指-Fitts(FFitts)定律。这项初步工作将扩展到对2D目标选择和手势任务进行建模。这项研究将按照人机交互(HCI)的标准实践进行，首先从现有的模型、假设和理性假设中推导出候选模型，然后进行严格的用户研究来评估新模型。实验结果将被用于改进新的模型，并将通过研究对其进行评估。项目成果将包括以下理论和经验智力贡献：触摸指点的行动定律，包括FFitts定律的任务形式，它将用名义任务参数(即手指行程距离A和目标宽度W)预测触摸指点时间，以及二元Fitts定律，它将对按钮、复选框和超级链接等矩形目标上的2D指向任务进行建模；轨迹手势的行动定律(手指转向定律)，包括沿直线路径转向的基本形式和其他路径的一般形式；这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Theoretical action laws and quantitative models are foundational to any field. In human-computer interaction and ergonomics, Fitts' law is one of the theoretical foundations for interface and input device development and research. It has served as a theoretical framework for evaluating input devices, a tool for computational interface design, and a logical basis for modeling more complex HCI tasks. However, ample empirical evidence has shown that Fitts' law and other existing action laws encounter problems, or even fail, when modeling touch interaction, primarily because they do not account for the imprecision of finger touch in interaction. This research will establish robust new action laws for touch interaction, including both pointing and trajectory-based gesturing (steering), which will guide the design and evaluation of touch interfaces and serve as cornerstones for modeling complex tasks, computational interface design and optimization. Given the ubiquitous adoption of mobile devices where touch input is dominant, project outcomes are expected to have broad impact that will reach millions of users. To demonstrate the practical value and effectiveness of the new touch action laws, they will be used to quantify the touch capacity of older adults, thereby laying the foundation for designing touch interfaces well-suited for that user community.The starting point for this research will be the principal investigator's Finger-Fitts (FFitts) law derived from the Dual Gaussian Distribution Model and Fitts' law. This preliminary work will be expanded to model 2D target selection and gesturing tasks. The research will be carried out following standard practices in Human Computer Interaction (HCI), first deriving candidate models from existing models, hypotheses, and rational assumptions, and then conducting rigorous user studies to evaluate the new models. The experimental results will in turn be used to refine the new models, which again will be evaluated via studies. Project outcomes will include the following theoretical and empirical intellectual contributions: action laws for touch pointing, including both the task form of the FFitts law which will predict touch pointing time with nominal task parameters (i.e., finger travel distance A and target width W), and the bivariate FFitts law which will model 2D pointing tasks on rectangular targets such as buttons, check boxes and hyperlinks; action laws for trajectory gestures (Finger-Steering laws), including a basic form for steering along straight paths and a generic form for other paths; and a touch action law based understanding of older adults' touch interaction capacity.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.