Interaction techniques for 3D graphics applications can be roughly separated into three categories: those for selecting objects, those for manipulating objects, and those for navigating by modifying the viewpoint. The proposed user study will focus only on interaction techniques for selecting objects. We will compare a number of techniques to determine which are better for specific selection tasks. We hope that the results of this study will help direct future interface development for virtual environments.
We will use three criteria to judge the effectiveness of an interaction technique for selecting objects: learnability, usability and precision. This study will measure each of these criteria for a number of selection techniques. We hope to determine which selection method is the most useful for a given task.
Learnability refers to the amount of time and effort it takes to learn how to use a given technique effectively. Usability indicates the efficiency with which a selection technique can be used once a user is familiar with it. Precision refers to the accuracy with which a selection technique can be used to specify the object the subject wants to select.
In our tests, we will measure learnability by the amount of time it takes a subject to become comfortable with the interaction technique, usability by how successfully and quickly a subject can perform tasks, and precision by how accurately a subject can select the target object. A more detailed description of how we will measure these criteria will be discussed in the proposal we wrote.
