The Fat Thumb: Using the Thumb's Contact Size for Single-Handed Mobile Interaction

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dc.contributor.authorBoring, Sebastianeng
dc.contributor.authorLedo, Davideng
dc.contributor.authorChen, Xiang (Anthony)eng
dc.contributor.authorMarquardt, Nicolaieng
dc.contributor.authorTang, Anthonyeng
dc.contributor.authorGreenberg, Sauleng
dc.date.accessioned2011-12-02T21:11:14Z
dc.date.available2011-12-02T21:11:14Z
dc.date.issued2011-12-02T21:11:14Z
dc.description.abstractModern mobile devices allow a rich set of multi-finger interactions that combine modes into a single fluid act, for example, one finger for panning blending into a two-finger pinch gesture for zooming. Such gestures require the use of both hands: one holding the device while the other is interacting. While on the go, however, only one hand may be available to both hold the device and interact with it. This mostly limits interaction to a single-touch (i.e., the thumb), forcing users to switch between input modes explicitly. In this paper, we contribute the Fat Thumb interaction technique, which uses the thumb’s contact size as a form of simulated pressure. This adds a degree of freedom, which can be used, for example, to integrate panning and zooming into a single interaction. Contact size determines the mode (i.e., panning with a small size, zooming with a large one), while thumb movement performs the selected mode. We discuss nuances of the Fat Thumb based on the thumb’s limited operational range and motor skills when that hand holds the device. We compared Fat Thumb to three alternative techniques, where people had to pan and zoom to a predefined region on a map. Participants performed fastest with the least strokes using Fat Thumb.eng
dc.description.refereedNoeng
dc.identifier.department2011-1015-27eng
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/30781
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/48841
dc.language.isoengeng
dc.publisher.corporateUniversity of Calgaryeng
dc.publisher.facultyScienceeng
dc.subjectDesigneng
dc.subjectExperimentationeng
dc.subjectHuman Factorseng
dc.subject.otherMobile devices, touch-screens, single-handed use, interactioneng
dc.titleThe Fat Thumb: Using the Thumb's Contact Size for Single-Handed Mobile Interactioneng
dc.typetechnical reporteng
dc.typevideo
thesis.degree.disciplineComputer Scienceeng
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