New paper at INTERACT 2025!

Congratulations to Razan Bamoallem who has had a paper accepted at INTERACT 2025! Here's the abstract:

For individuals with MS and dexterity impairments (MSDex), touchscreen interaction can be particularly challenging, as symptoms like finger numbness and impaired motion regulation negatively impact smartphone usability. This study investigated the usability and accessibility of a mid-air gesture interaction technique for MS-Dex. Touchscreen technologies are ubiquitous, but these individuals often face challenges with touch-based interaction. Touchless input methods, like midair gestures, offer a promising alternative for enhancing interaction and communication with touch-based technology. We developed an interactive tool (HF-MAI) using hand and finger mid-air gestures for common touchscreen tasks, using the Leap Motion Controller (LMC) for gesture recognition. MS-Dex individuals, MS therapists, and a usability and user experience (UX) expert participated in the evaluation. We assessed usability, user satisfaction, and accessibility of the HF-MAI system. Results indicate HF-MAI is highly usable and accessible; participants performed gestures successfully and reported high satisfaction. Notably, pinch, spread, and rotate (two-finger/single-finger) mid-air gestures were performed with faster completion times, contrasting with the difficulty of such gestures on touchscreens. The gesture vocabulary, particularly the adaptation to single/two-finger movements, facilitated easier interaction, reducing difficulty for users with limited dexterity. This study demonstrates the potential of mid-air gestures using co-created vocabularies to enhance accessibility for individuals with MS, offering a promising alternative to traditional touch-based input. This technology can significantly improve their access to touchscreens, enhancing independence and quality of life.

Reference

Bamoallem, R., Loizides, F., Finnegan, D. J., AlSunaidi, H.
HF-MAI: Touchless Mid-Air Interaction for Individuals with Dexterity Impairment
20th IFIP TC13 International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (INTERACT) 2025
DOI:10.XXXX/XXXX