User-defined gestures for elastic, deformable displays

Abstract

Elastic, deformable displays allow users to give input by pinching, pushing, folding, and twisting the display. However, little is known about what gestures users prefer or how they will use elasticity and deformability as input. We report a guessability study where 17 participants performed gestures to solve 29 tasks, including selection, navigation, and 3D modeling. Based on the resulting 493 gestures, we describe a user-defined gesture set for elastic, deformable displays. We show how participants used depth and elasticity of the display to simulate deformation, rotation, and displacement of objects. In addition, we show how the use of desktop computers as well as multi-touch interaction affected users' choice of gestures. Finally, we discuss some unique uses of elasticity and deformability in gestures.