Big Gestures?: Factors that Influence Gesture Visibility

In many scenarios that involve digital systems, it is beneficial to maintain awareness of other people’s actions. During face-to-face communication with fellow humans, this is accomplished by gestures. The recent interest in gestural interfaces offers the possibility to transfer this paradigm to human-computer interaction. Previously, researchers exclusively discussed gesture size as a contributing factor for awareness maintenance through gestures. However, this might be only one piece of the picture, as other factors might be equally important. We studied small (tabletsized), medium (monitor-sized), and large (full-arm) gestures. Our study showed that, although size does have significant effects, there are other factors that influence awareness maintenance. Our results provide empirical guidance about the ways that gesture size affects awareness, show that other factors, such as gesture morphology, influence awareness, and suggest that gestural interaction has potential for improving group awareness in co-located environments.