Over the Mouse: Navigating across the GUI with Finger-Lifting Operation Mouse

Modern GUIs often have a hierarchical structure, i.e., the z-axis of the GUI interaction space. However, conventional mice do not support effective navigation along the z-axis, leading to increased physical movements and cognitive load. To address this inefficiency, we present the OtMouse, a novel mouse that supports finger-lifting operations by detecting finger height through proximity sensors embedded beneath the mouse buttons, and ‘Over the Mouse’ (OtM) interface, a set of interaction techniques along the z-axis of the GUI interaction space with the OtMouse. Initially, We evaluated the performance of finger-lifting operations (n = 8) with the OtMouse for two- and three-level lifting discrimination tasks. Subsequently, we conducted a user study (n = 16) to compare the usability of the OtM interface and traditional mouse interface for three representative tasks: ‘Context Switch,’ ‘Video Preview,’ and ‘Map Zooming.’ The results showed that OtM interface was both qualitatively and quantitatively superior to using traditional mouse in the Context Switch and Video Preview tasks. This research contributes to the ongoing efforts to enhance mouse-based GUI navigation experiences.