Grasping Microgestures: Eliciting Single-hand Microgestures for Handheld Objects

Abstract

Single-hand microgestures have been recognized for their potential to support direct and subtle interactions. While pioneering work has investigated sensing techniques and presented first sets of intuitive gestures, we still lack a systematic understanding of the complex relationship between microgestures and various types of grasps. This paper presents results from a user elicitation study of microgestures that are performed while the user is holding an object. We present an analysis of over 2,400 microgestures performed by 20 participants, using six different types of grasp and a total of 12 representative handheld objects of varied geometries and size. We expand the existing elicitation method by proposing statistical clustering on the elicited gestures. We contribute detailed results on how grasps and object geometries affect single-hand microgestures, preferred locations, and fingers used. We also present consolidated gesture sets for different grasps and object size. From our findings, we derive recommendations for the design of microgestures compatible with a large variety of handheld objects.