Metrics for Multi-Touch Input Technologies

TL;DR

This paper emphasizes the need for standardized performance metrics and predictive models for multi-touch input technologies to enable better comparison, design, and development of new touch interfaces.

Contribution

It highlights the absence of unified metrics and models for multi-touch technology evaluation and discusses approaches to establish them.

Findings

Current evaluation methods are inconsistent and lack standardization.

A predictive model for multi-touch performance could improve design efficiency.

Standard metrics would facilitate comparison across different technologies.

Abstract

Multi-touch input technologies are becoming popular with the increased interest in touchscreen- and touchpad-based devices. A great deal of work has been done on different multi-touch technologies, and researchers and practitioners are frequently coming up with new ones. However, it is almost impossible to compare such technologies due to the absence of multi-touch performance metrics. Designers usually use their own methods to report their techniques' performances. Moreover, multi-touch interaction was never modeled. That makes it impossible for designers to predict the performance of a new technology before developing it, costing them valuable time, effort, and money. This article discusses the necessity of having dedicated performance metrics and prediction model for multi-touch technologies, and ways of approaching that.