Large display interaction via multiple acceleration curves on a touchpad

Large, high resolution displays combine high pixel density with ample physical dimensions. Combination of these two factors creates a multi-scale workspace [2] where object targeting requires both high speed and high accuracy for nearby and far apart targeting. Modern operating systems support dynamic control-display gain adjustment (i.e. cursor acceleration) that helps to maintain both speed and accuracy. However, very large high resolution displays require broad range of control-display gain ratios. Current interaction techniques attempt to solve the problem by utilizing multiple modes of interaction, where different modes provide different levels of pointer precision. We are investigating the question of the value of allowing users to dynamically choose granularity levels for continuous pointing within single mode of interaction via multiple acceleration curves. Our solution offers different cursor acceleration curves depending on the targeting conditions, thus broadening the range of control-display ratios. Our approach utilizes a consumer multitouch touchpad that allows fast and accurate detection of multiple fingers. A user can choose three different acceleration curves based on how many fingers are used for cursor positioning. Our goal is to investigate the effects of such multi-scale interaction and to compare it against standard single curve interaction.