Evaluating the Usability of Microgestures for Text Editing Tasks in Virtual Reality

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Li, Xiang, He, Wei, Kristensson, Per Ola
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Li, Xiang
He, Wei
Kristensson, Per Ola
author_facet Li, Xiang
He, Wei
Kristensson, Per Ola
contents As virtual reality (VR) continues to evolve, traditional input methods such as handheld controllers and gesture systems often face challenges with precision, social accessibility, and user fatigue. These limitations motivate the exploration of microgestures, which promise more subtle, ergonomic, and device-free interactions. We introduce microGEXT, a lightweight microgesture-based system designed for text editing in VR without external sensors, which utilizes small, subtle hand movements to reduce physical strain compared to standard gestures. We evaluated microGEXT in three user studies. In Study 1 ($N=20$), microGEXT reduced overall edit time and fatigue compared to a ray-casting + pinch menu baseline, the default text editing approach in commercial VR systems. Study 2 ($N=20$) found that microGEXT performed well in short text selection tasks but was slower for longer text ranges. In Study 3 ($N=10$), participants found microGEXT intuitive for open-ended information-gathering tasks. Across all studies, microGEXT demonstrated enhanced user experience and reduced physical effort, offering a promising alternative to traditional VR text editing techniques.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_04198
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Evaluating the Usability of Microgestures for Text Editing Tasks in Virtual Reality
Li, Xiang
He, Wei
Kristensson, Per Ola
Human-Computer Interaction
Multimedia
As virtual reality (VR) continues to evolve, traditional input methods such as handheld controllers and gesture systems often face challenges with precision, social accessibility, and user fatigue. These limitations motivate the exploration of microgestures, which promise more subtle, ergonomic, and device-free interactions. We introduce microGEXT, a lightweight microgesture-based system designed for text editing in VR without external sensors, which utilizes small, subtle hand movements to reduce physical strain compared to standard gestures. We evaluated microGEXT in three user studies. In Study 1 ($N=20$), microGEXT reduced overall edit time and fatigue compared to a ray-casting + pinch menu baseline, the default text editing approach in commercial VR systems. Study 2 ($N=20$) found that microGEXT performed well in short text selection tasks but was slower for longer text ranges. In Study 3 ($N=10$), participants found microGEXT intuitive for open-ended information-gathering tasks. Across all studies, microGEXT demonstrated enhanced user experience and reduced physical effort, offering a promising alternative to traditional VR text editing techniques.
title Evaluating the Usability of Microgestures for Text Editing Tasks in Virtual Reality
topic Human-Computer Interaction
Multimedia
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.04198