HybridPointing for Touch: Switching Between Absolute and Relative Pointing on Large Touch Screens

We propose CursorTap, an extension of Forlines et al.’s mixed, absolute and relative “HybridPointing” to large wall-sized multitouch displays. Our technique uses a relative pointing quasimode activated with one hand, while the other hand controls a distant cursor similar to a large touchpad. A controlled experiment compares the technique to standard absolute touch input as a baseline and a whole-display “Drag” technique representing a common alternate approach. Results show CursorTap is fastest for the common usage scenario of reaching distant targets and then returning to nearby targets. Overall, median selection times across distances are similar with CursorTap, but linearly increase with the other techniques. As further validation, a second study explore show people use CursorTap in a two-person game. The results found just over half of the participants choose to use CursorTap for half of the primary interactions where “enemies” are eliminated using a tap, drag, or lasso “tool”.