Subjective usability of speech, touch and gesture in a heterogeneous multi-display environment

Several interaction techniques have been proposed to enable transfer of information between different displays in heterogeneous multi-display environments. However, it is not clear whether subjective user preference for these different techniques depends on the nature of the displays between which information is transferred. We explore subjective usability of speech, touch and gesture for moving information between various displays in a heterogeneous multi-display environment, consisting of a multi-touch table, a wall-mounted display and a smartphone. We find that subjective user evaluation of the various interaction techniques depends on the combination of displays being used. This implies that the type of display combination should be taken into consideration when designing interaction techniques for the transfer of items between displays in a heterogeneous multi-display environment. Also, gesture based interactions were judged more acceptable when they involved holding a mobile phone, probably since this provided a cue explaining the action. © Copyright IARIA, 2013.