Using variable movement resistance sliders for remote discrete input

Despite the proliferation of screens in everyday environments, providing values to remote displays for exploring complex data sets is still challenging. Enhanced input for remote screens can increase their utility and enable the construction of rich data-driven environments. Here, we investigate the opportunities provided by a variable movement resistance slider (VMRS), based on a motorized slide potentiometer. These devices are often used in professional soundboards as an effective way to provide discrete input. We designed, built and evaluated a remote input device using a VMRS that facilitates choosing a number on a discrete scale. By comparing our prototype to a traditional slide potentiometer and a software slider, we determined that for conditions where users are not looking at the slider, VMRS can offer significantly better performance and accuracy. Our findings contribute to the understanding of discrete input and enable building new interaction scenarios for large display environments.