User-defined gestures for connecting mobile phones, public displays, and tabletops

Christian Kray, Daniel J. Nesbitt, John Dawson, Michael Rohs

Abstract: Gestures can offer an intuitive way to interact with a computer. In this paper, we investigate the question whether gesturing with a mobile phone can help to perform complex tasks involving two devices. We present results from a user study, where we asked participants to spontaneously produce gestures with their phone to trigger a set of different activities. We investigated three conditions (device configurations): phone-to-phone, phone-to-tabletop, and phone to public display. We report on the kinds of gestures we observed as well as on feedback from the participants, and provide an initial assessment of which sensors might facilitate gesture recognition in a phone. The results suggest that phone gestures have the potential to be easily understood by end users and that certain device configurations and activities may be well suited for gesture control.