A Unit Touch Gesture Model of Performance Time Prediction for Mobile Devices

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to propose a unit touch gesture model, which would be useful to predict the performance time on mobile devices. Background: When estimating usability based on Model-based Evaluation (MBE) in interfaces, the GOMS model measured ‘operators’ to predict the execution time in the desktop environment. Therefore, this study used the concept of operator in GOMS for touch gestures. Since the touch gestures are comprised of possible unit touch gestures, these unit touch gestures can predict to performance time with unit touch gestures on mobile devices. Method: In order to extract unit touch gestures, manual movements of subjects were recorded in the 120 fps with pixel coordinates. Touch gestures are classified with ‘out of range’, ‘registration’, ‘continuation’ and ‘termination’ of gesture. Results: As a results, six unit touch gestures were extracted, which are hold down (H), Release (R), Slip (S), Curved-stroke (Cs), Path-stroke (Ps) and Out of range (Or). The movement time predicted by the unit touch gesture model is not significantly different from the participants’ execution time. The measured six unit touch gestures can predict movement time of undefined touch gestures like user-defined gestures. Conclusion: In conclusion, touch gestures could be subdivided into six unit touch gestures. Six unit touch gestures can explain almost all the current touch gestures including user-defined gestures. So, this model provided in this study has a high predictive power. The model presented in the study could be utilized to predict the performance time of touch gestures. Application: The unit touch gestures could be simply added up to predict the performance time without measuring the performance time of a new gesture.