Functional Workspace for One-Handed Tap and Swipe Microgestures

Abstract

Single-hand microgestures are a promising interaction concept for ubiquitous and mobile interaction. Due to the technical difficulty of accurately tracking small movements of fingers that are exploited in this type of interface, most research in this field is currently aimed at providing a good foundation for the future application in the real word. One interaction concept of microgestures is one-handed tap and swipe interaction that resembles one-handed interaction with handheld devices like smartphones. In this paper, we present a small study that explores the possible functional workspace of one-handed interaction which describes the area on the palmar surface where tap- and swipe-interaction is possible. Additionally to thumb-to-finger interaction which has been investigated more often, we also considered other fingers. The results show, that thumb interaction with index, ring and middle finger is the most appropriate form of input but other input combinations are under circumstances worth consideration. However, there is a high deviation on which locations can be reached depending on the individual hand anatomy.