Freehand vs. micro gestures in the car: Driving performance and user experience

Until now, freehand and micro gestures have only been investigated separately. We conducted a driving simulator study to investigate on the effects on the driving performance when controlling a music player and the user experience provided. Subjects felt that stimulation, control, popularity, and physical-form were addressed by both gesture types, but slightly better by freehand gestures. But micro gestures were rated notably higher regarding their perceived degree of autonomy. Regarding driving performance, deteriorations were found for both gesture types. Results indicate, freehand gestures impair lateral control while micro gestures delay steering.