Magnetic Cursor

Abstract

We present the magnetic cursor, a technique that aims to make distant freehand interaction with targets easier in large-screen public display applications. The magnetic cursor automatically warps to a selectable object that is close by, moves slower while on the object, and shows the relative cursor location visually to the user. Two designs of the magnetic cursor were compared to the snap-to-target technique in a 19 participant user study. Results indicate that the magnetic cursor design with weaker magnetism effect outperforms the other techniques in terms of target selection efficiency. Subjective feedback indicates that snap-to-target and the magnetic cursor design with weaker magnetism effect meet the participants' expectations for freehand pointing and are preferred to unassisted pointing and the magnetic cursor with stronger magnetism. Our findings suggest that the visual feedback of cursor location and short, static activation threshold for the magnetism effect can help users maintain the cursor within the active motor space of a target, especially when several selectable targets are situated in close proximity.