Usability of pointing devices for office applications in a moving off-road environment.

Three pointing devices (mouse, touch pad, touch screen) were evaluated for usability with a Windows-style menu selection task while in a moving off-road environment. A pilot study determined which commercially available devices had the potential to promote good performance in the environment. Eighteen subjects performed a series of complex pointing tasks that simulated the use of a standard application in a moving tractor. The devices were also rated for subjective usability. The mouse and the touch screen produced the best performances, with the mouse receiving the best subjective usability ratings. The participants had a significantly lower performance with the touch pad, which also received lower ratings in the subjective usability ratings.