How Fitts' Fits in 3D: A Tangible Twist on Spatial Tasks

Expanding Fitts' Law into a 3D context, we analyze PointARs, a mixed reality system that teaches pointer skills through an object manipulation task. Nine distinct configurations, varying in object sizes and distances, were explored to evaluate task complexity using metrics such as completion time, error rate, and throughput. Our results support Fitts' Law, showing that increased distances generally increase task difficulty. However, contrary to its predictions, larger objects also led to higher complexity, possibly due to the system's limitations in tracking them. Based on these findings, we suggest using tangible cubes between 1.5" and 2" in size and limiting the distance between objects to 2" for optimal interaction in the system's 3D space. Future research should explore additional configurations and shapes to further validate Fitts' Law in the context of 3D object manipulation in systems like PointARs. This could help refine guidelines for designing mixed reality interfaces.