GESTURING THROUGH CURSORS: IMPLEMENTING MULTIPLE POINTERS IN GROUP SUPPORT SYSTEMS

Abstract

The focus of this paper is on the issues underlying the concept of gesturing. Gesturing from one human to another appears to span all cultural boundaries; one could possibly call it a universal means of communication. Studies of group work have shown that gesturing makes up over 35% of all interactions. Participants gestured to enact ideas, to signal turn-taking, to focus the attention of the group, and to reference objects on the work surface. Specifically, this paper explores gesturing as applied to users of Group Support Systems. The definition of gesturing is extended beyond simple telepointers to include 1) the use of motion as a means of expression, and 2) movement that expresses or emphasizes an idea, a sentiment or attitude. We address such issues as: at what level of interaction should gesturing be supported, how large and what shape should gesture pointers be, how should they move, what are network and processor throughput requirements, and what effect group size may have. Our results show that full motion computer gesturing can be supported on PC-LAN systems for small groups. Gesturing for medium and large groups requires the use of special techniques such as regulating transmission rates, motion smoothing, and point & quiver cursors. These techniques can also be applied to wide area network implementations to reduce network traffic and latency problems.