An Experimental Comparison of Touch Interaction on Vertical and Horizontal Surfaces
Touch input has been extensively studied. The influence of display orientation on users’ performance and satisfaction, however, is not well understood. In an experiment, the authors manipulate the orientation of multi-touch surfaces to study how 16 participants tap and drag. To analyze if and when participants switch hands or interact bimanually, they track the hands of the participants. Results show that orientation impacts both performance and error rates. Tapping was performed 5% faster on the vertical surface, whereas dragging was performed 5% faster and with fewer errors on the horizontal surface.