Pressure-based menu selection for mobile devices

Abstract

Despite many successes in desktop applications, little work has looked at the use of pressure input on mobile devices and the different issues associated with mobile interactions e.g. non-visual feedback. This study examined pressure input on a mobile device using a single Force Sensing Resistor (FSR) with linearised output as a means of target selection within a menu, where target menu items varied in size and location along the z-axis. Comparing visual and audio feedback, results showed that, overall, eyes-free pressure interaction reached a mean level of 74% accuracy. With visual feedback mean accuracy reached 85%. Participants could accurately distinguish up to 10 pressure levels when given adequate feedback indicating a high level of control.