Interaction devices is a broad term used to cover a wide variety of devices which allows us to interact with the computer. They can be separated into 2 categories:
- Input Devices
- Output Devices
Today, I will focus on input devices, specifically pointing devices and how they have evolved with time.
What do Pointing Devices do?
Pointing devices have a specific set of tasks which allow users to directly manipulate items on the computer. These tasks include:
- Selecting an item
- Dragging and positioning an item
- Orienting / rotating an item
- Defining a path / curvature of an item
- Text writing / editing
First known pointing devices
The first known pointing devices were those that required the movement of a physical object - a mouse or track ball.
Both of these devices are also known as indirect control devices as user interaction with the computer occur away from its screen surface.
Today's Mouse
With vast improvements in technology, people have left the old traditional mice and track balls behind and came up with optical mice.
Optical mice use light-emitting diode and photodiodes to detect movement and require little to no maintenance as compared to track ball mice as they do not possess any rolling parts which could become clogged with lint. Even optical mice themselves have gone through many changes since it was first introduced.
They evolved from the traditional wired mouse
to the wireless mouse that is more portable and convenient to bring around.
Along with the invention of optical mice, many other pointing devices have also surfaced in the last decade. These devices include:
- Joysticks
- Stylus
- Light pens
- Touch screens
Joysticks are often preferred to a mouse when playing games due to their speed and accuracy. They also come in many different shapes and designs to suit the different needs, usages and preferences of users.
Direct Control Pointing Devices
Direct control pointing devices allow users to interact with a computer directly on its screen surface. The stylus, light pen and touch screen are all direct control devices as shown in the pictures below.
The stylus is commonly used together with small screens such as smart phones and PDAs as it usually comes with a sharp tip that allow users to point at specific small items on the screen.
The light pen is more commonly used when interacting with large screens as they tend to have larger and flatter tips than the stylus.
Lastly, the touch screen which has been becoming increasingly popular in recent years, is a devices that creates movement by tracing the paths of a finger on the computer screen. Many handheld devices in the market today are based on touch screen technology. These devices include popular Apple products such as the iPod touch and iPhone, and many other smart phones as well.
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