Abstract
We present a predictive model for the functional area of the thumb on a touchscreen surface: The area of the interface reachable by the thumb of the hand that is holding the device. We derive a quadratic formula by analyzing the kinematics of the gripping hand. Model fit is high for the thumb-motion trajectories of 20 participants. The model predicts the functional area for a given 1) surface size, 2) hand size, and 3) position of the index finger on the back of the device. Designers can use this model to ensure that a user interface is suitable for interaction with the thumb. The model can also be used inversely- that is, to infer the grips assumed by a given user interface layout.
| Original language | English |
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| Title of host publication | Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Place of Publication | New York, NY, USA |
| Publisher | ACM |
| Publication date | 2014 |
| Pages | 1991-2000 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-1-4503-2473-1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2014 |
| Externally published | Yes |