An Analysis of Game Controller and Touchscreen Devices for Input into a Complex High-Information Display

Recently, there has been rapid growth in different methods of providing input into a computer system. Increased familiarity with the unique button layouts of game controllers and direct manipulation touchscreen devices has afforded an opportunity to evaluate how these new input methods can increase efficiency of computer systems that involve the display of complex, densely-packed information. Here, alternative button layouts (through various game controllers) and touchscreen devices were used to navigate through a simulated workflow in a submarine contact management task. Task completion time and errors were recorded, and results show that only some of the alternative input devices sped up the time it takes to cycle through a commonly used workflow. Implications for integration of these devices with already-existing systems are discussed along with future research directions.