title: Fitts' law model and target size of pointing devices in a vibration environment.
abstract: This study examined models of Fitts' law and effective target widths of three pointing devices in vibration environments. From a research institute 10 employees, ages 26 to 31 years were recruited as paid subjects. Pointing tasks consisted of four square target sizes, four movement distances, and four target angles and were performed on a motion platform using a touch screen, a mouse, and a track ball. The platform simulated two levels of sea wave vibration environments besides a static one. Analysis showed effective target widths increased with vibration, indicating increased variability of the pointing task under vibration. The increase in the track ball was smaller, indicating resistance to motion disturbance. The study also suggests an enlarged target (button) size for the touch screen under the vibration environment. The findings have implications in motor control and human-computer interfacing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Industrial Engineering, Chung Yuan Christian University 200, Chung Pei Road, Chung Li, Taiwan 32023, ROC.
authors.forename: Chi No
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Chiuhsiang Joe
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Chin Jung
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Chao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008328:Man-Machine Systems; D008954:Models, Biological; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D011336:Probability; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D014732:Vibration