Interaction- Desktop Environments

Sketch - Two-Handed Input

Computer interfaces have so far been limited to keyboard and mouse-based solutions, even though people naturally work with two hands and in three dimensions. Two-handed interaction is increasingly being used in desktop environments [BUXT86][KABB94]. Interfaces for compound continuous tasks (e.g., positioning an object in 3D) that use one-handed input are often less natural and less efficient than interfaces that split those tasks into parallel subtasks. For example, with our two-handed Sketch interface [ZELE97] the dominant and non-dominant hands can work together efficiently to simultaneously translate and rotate an object, corresponding more closely to real-world interaction. Other tasks such as viewpoint specification and temporary ungrouping are also simpler and more efficient with a two-handed interface.