Input and Interaction Techniques
Input and interaction techniques are the methods by which people convey intentions to computers, spanning pointing, touch, gesture, text entry, speech, and the combination of multiple modalities.
Definition
An interaction technique is a way of using an input device or combination of devices to accomplish a task, encompassing the physical input, the system's interpretation, and the feedback, while input devices are the hardware channels through which signals enter the system.
Scope
This area covers how users provide input and the techniques built on input channels: pointing and target acquisition, touch and gesture interaction, text entry, and speech and multimodal interaction. It addresses the human-performance properties of these techniques, their design, and how they are evaluated empirically. It does not cover the broad interaction paradigms that frame these techniques, treated under interaction design, nor the predictive performance laws as such, which are introduced under cognitive models of interaction.
Sub-topics
Core questions
- What input channels and devices are available, and how do they map to tasks?
- How are interaction techniques designed and compared empirically?
- How does human motor and perceptual performance shape technique design?
- How do touch, gesture, speech, and multimodal input differ in their strengths?
Key concepts
- input device
- interaction technique
- pointing and selection
- touch and gesture
- text entry
- speech and multimodal input
- design space of devices
- empirical performance evaluation
Key theories
- Design space of input devices
- Input devices can be analyzed systematically by the physical properties they sense and the dimensions they control, yielding a structured design space that helps designers reason about and invent input techniques.
- Empirical evaluation of techniques
- Interaction techniques are compared through controlled experiments measuring speed, accuracy, and effort, grounding technique design in evidence about human performance rather than intuition.
- Two-handed and compound input
- Using both hands or combining input channels can improve performance for tasks with natural division of labour, illustrating how technique design exploits human motor capabilities.
Clinical relevance
The design of input techniques determines how fast, accurate, and comfortable everyday computing is, from mouse and keyboard to touchscreens, styluses, and voice assistants; well-designed techniques also expand who can interact, including people using alternative or assistive input.
History
Following the mouse and graphical interface of the 1960s-80s, researchers systematized input through design-space analyses and controlled experiments. Two-handed and compound techniques were studied in the 1980s, and the rise of touchscreens, gesture sensing, and speech recognition in the 2000s and 2010s greatly expanded the repertoire of interaction techniques.
Key figures
- I. Scott MacKenzie
- William Buxton
- Stuart K. Card
- Brad A. Myers
Related topics
Seminal works
- card1991
- buxton1986
- mackenzie2013
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between an input device and an interaction technique?
- An input device is the hardware that senses user action, such as a mouse, touchscreen, or microphone. An interaction technique is the designed way of using one or more devices to perform a task, including how the input is interpreted and what feedback is given. The same device can support many techniques.
- Why are interaction techniques evaluated with experiments?
- Human performance with input, such as speed, accuracy, and fatigue, is hard to predict from intuition alone. Controlled experiments measure these factors directly, letting designers compare techniques fairly and choose ones that genuinely perform better for the intended users and tasks.