Flick-and-Brake: Finger Control over Inertial/Sustained Scroll Motion

Abstract : We present two variants of Flick-and-Brake, a technique that allows users to not only trigger motion by touch-screen flicking but also to subsequently modulate scrolling speed by varying pressure of a stationary finger. These techniques, which further exploit the metaphor of a massive wheel, provide the user with online friction control. We describe a finite-state machine that models a variety of flicking interaction styles, with or without pressure control. We report the results of a preliminary user study which suggest that for medium to long distance scrolling the Flick-and-Brake techniques require less gestural activity than does standard flicking. One of the two variants of the technique is faster than state of the art flicking, while both are as accurate. Users also reported they preferred Flick-and-Brake techniques over the standard flick and judged it more efficient.