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Human-Computer Interaction: Input Devices


Author(s) : Robert J. K. Jacob, 
Publisher : N/A
Publication Date : 1996
ISSN : N/A
Abstract : All aspects of human-computer interaction, from the high-level concerns of organizational context and system requirements to the conceptual, semantic, syntactic, and lexical levels of user interface design, are ultimately funneled through physical input and output actions and devices. The fundamental task in computer input is to move information from the brain of the user to the computer. Progress in this discipline attempts to increase the useful bandwidth across that interface by seeking faster, more natural, and more convenient means for a user to transmit information to a computer. This article mentions some of the technical background for this area, surveys the range of input devices currently in use and emerging, and considers future trends in input. Background A designer looks at the interaction tasks necessary for a particular application [3]. Interaction tasks are low-level primitive inputs required from the user, such as entering a text string or choosing a command. For each such task, the designer chooses an appropriate interaction device and interaction technique. An interaction technique is a way of using a phy-sical device to perform an interaction task. There may be several different ways of using the,