An evaluation of multimodal feedback in tracking state for pen-based interfaces

The tracking state increases the bandwidth of pen-based interfaces. However, this state is difficult to detect with default visual feedback. In this paper an experiment was designed to evaluate multimodal feedback for pointing tasks in the tracking state. Results show that there is a significant effect for input types on movement time while the use of different hands for receiving feedback (i.e. the dominant or non-preferred hand) does not affect movement time significantly. There was also a significant effect for feedback types and input device types on error rate while the choice of hand does not affect the error rate significantly. Results also show that tactile feedback can improve accuracy in the tracking state. This paper offers several guidelines for interface design in the tracking state. We believe these guidelines can aid designers of pen-based interfaces.