Faster command selection on tablets with FastTap.

Touch-based tablet UIs provide few shortcut mechanisms for rapid command selection; as a result, command selection on tablets often requires slow traversal of menus. We developed a new selection technique for multi-touch tablets, called FastTap, that uses thumb-and-finger touches to show and choose from a spatially-stable grid-based overlay interface. FastTap allows novices to view and inspect the full interface, but once item locations are known, FastTap allows people to select commands with a single quick thumb-and-finger tap. The interface helps users develop expertise, since the motor actions carried out as a novice rehearse the expert behavior. A controlled study showed that FastTap was significantly faster (by 33% per selection overall) than marking menus, both for novices and experts, and without reduction in accuracy or subjective preference. Our work introduces a new and efficient selection mechanism that supports rapid command execution on touch tablets, for both novices and experts.