Tangible interaction for simple 3D interaction tasks: Comparing device-in-hand and hand-in-device scenarios

Although recently, touch-based input with a reduced amount of haptic guidance gained popularity, traditional tangible input devices like mice or joysticks are still indispensable of everyday human-computer interaction. Most traditional tangible devices are implemented in so-called device-in-hand settings. There, the user's hand grabs the device and the device-hand system is then moved to trigger an input activity. Thus, the user's hand posture usually stays relatively stable. Hand-in-device approaches are an alternative form of tangible interaction settings where the user's hand moves within a tangible device. Such a setting differs considerably as i) the user's hand posture is more flexible, and ii) the device itself is stable while the interacting hand moves. This paper describes a comparative study on users' interaction performance with device-in-hand and hand-in-device settings for simple 3D interaction tasks. Further, it contributes to the body of knowledge on favourable interaction directions (left or right).