Pointing Devices in the Retail Environment

Abstract

Retailers are expanding customer service by introducing new services such as interior design, landscaping design and data base searches. Many of these applications are, Windows™-based software. Many of these software packages require use of an input device for pointing, selecting, and moving graphic objects. Retailers are now looking for ways to integrate pointing devices into retail workstations. This study was designed to evaluate different pointing devices and locations for placement on retail workstations. Four pointing devices (two styles of trackballs and two styles of X-Y positioning pads) in four locations on the retail workstation were evaluated. Three input tasks (single click, double click, and click-and-drag) were used to gather data on target acquisition speed and accuracy. Three questionnaires were used to assess user opinions on overall comfort, acquisition speed, and accuracy. The results indicated that the palm-operated trackball with a large ball, located 8 to 18 inches away from the user on a 36 to 40-inch high retail workstation was the most suitable for the retail environment.