Novel Input Devices for Large , High - Resolution Displays Design , Interaction and Evaluation PhD Dissertation Proposal

Large, high-resolution displays (LHRD) are capable of visualizing a large amount of very detailed information but also introduce new challenges for human-computer interaction. Besides potential information overload and disorientation, limited visual acuity and field of view force users to physically move around in front of these displays to perceive either object details or an overview. However, conventional input devices such as mouse and keyboard restrict users' mobility by requiring a stable surface on which to operate and thus impede fluid interaction and collaborative work settings. Therefore, we introduce our LaserpointerInteraction as a direct and absolute pointing technique, which is especially designed to satisfy the demands of LHRDs in the areas of mobility, precision, interaction speed and collaboration. We developed novel filter methods which compensate effectively the natural hand tremor of the user in real time, identify adaptively if the user wants to drag or click an object, and support precise selection by temporal and spatial interpolation. These filters and the laserpointer as input device itself as well as other devices like multi-touch surfaces, Phidget sensors, finger-, hand-, and eye-tracking were integrated as independent components in a common interaction library named “Squidy”. This library facilitates the flexible reutilization of the filters with diverse input devices and improves comparability for formal evaluations due to the common test environment. Instead of implementing monolithic device drivers with redundant filter techniques, researchers and interaction designers thus have the ability to realize multi-device interaction techniques offering enhanced multimodal interaction concepts to one or multiple users. In principal, the research objectives of this thesis are the design, implementation and evaluation of the Laserpointer-Interaction as a suitable input device for LHRDs and the development of the interaction library Squidy as well as its graphical user interface concept, which allows interactive configuration of input devices, filter techniques and the interaction between them.