The study of a novel target selection technique in pen-based interfaces

In his paper we introduce a novel interaction technique that improves target acquisition in pen-based interfaces. This technique is called Beam Cursor. The Beam Cursor exploits the sliding motion and dynamically updates the effective width of targets on screen according to the original location of the pen-tip, such that even if the pen-tip lands in the vicinity of a target the target can easily be selected. We also provide reports on a controlled experiment which was performed to evaluate the Beam Cursor in target selection tasks on the pen-based interface. The experimental results indicate that the Beam Cursor is modeled by Fitts´ law and that it is governed by the effective width of the targets. Results also show that the Beam Cursor significantly outperforms the traditional Point Cursor.