Comparing cursor orientations for mouse, pointer, and pen interaction

Most graphical user interfaces provide visual cursors to facilitate interaction with input devices such as mice, pointers, and pens. These cursors often include directional cues that could influence the stimulus-response compatibility of user input. We conducted a controlled evaluation of four cursor orientations and an orientation-neutral cursor in a circular menu selection task. Mouse interaction on a desktop, pointer (i.e. wand) interaction on a large screen, and pen interaction on a Tablet PC were evaluated. Our results suggest that choosing appropriate cursors is especially important for pointer interaction, but may be less important for mice or pens. Cursors oriented toward the lower-right corner of a display yielded the poorest performance overall while orientation-neutral cursors were generally the best. Advantages were found for orientations aligned with the direction of movement. We discuss these results and suggest guidelines for the appropriate use of cursors in various input and display configurations.