Discrete Virtual Rotation in Pointing vs. Leaning-Directed Steering Interfaces: A Uni vs. Bimanual Perspective

TL;DR

This study investigates bimanual and unimanual orientation selection methods in steering interfaces, finding that bimanual approaches perform comparably to existing methods and pointing-directed steering may offer usability advantages.

Contribution

It introduces bimanual and unimanual orientation selection techniques in steering interfaces and evaluates their performance and usability in a controlled experiment.

Findings

Bimanual asymmetric interfaces are not significantly more difficult for users.

Orientation Selection performs at least as well as Snap Rotation.

Pointing-Directed Steering shows potential usability benefits over embodied interfaces.

Abstract

In this work, we explore the integration of discontinuous Orientation Selection into steering interfaces intending to preserve the seamless sensation of real-world movement, while mitigating the risk of inducing cybersickness. Our implementation encounters conflicts in standard input mappings, prompting us to adopt bimanual interaction as a solution. Recognizing the complexity that may arise from this step, we also develop unimanual alternatives, e.g., utilizing a Human-Joystick, commonly referred to as Leaning interface. The outcomes of an empirical study centered around a primed search task yield unexpected findings. We observed a sample of users spanning multiple levels of gaming experience and a balanced gender distribution exhibit no significant difficulties with the bimanual, asymmetric interfaces. Remarkably, the performance of Orientation Selection is, as in prior work, at least on par with Snap Rotation. Moreover, through a subsequent exploratory analysis, we uncover indications that Pointing-Directed Steering outperforms embodied interfaces in usability and task load in the given setting.