Asymmetric Two-Handed Input for Mode Selection on Touchscreens

Abstract

Away from computers, most manual activities make use of both hands together. Consider how you chop vegetables, stir a pot, hammer a nail, or play a musical instrument; even in writing, the “off” hand plays a role in holding the work steady. However, current touchscreen interfaces, even though called “multi-touch”, rarely make effective use of more than one hand at a time.

We performed an experiment to compare user performance and preference with a novel two-handed interface and the standard one-handed interface of current touchscreen tablet devices. We found that, even though none of the participants had previously used a bimanual touch interface before, nearly all performed the task faster with the new interface, and most found it smoother and more enjoyable to use. Our results suggest that, in certain applications, bimanual interfaces should be considered when designing new software for touch-based devices.