2.3. Procedure
Participants’ ages, as well as their levels of expertise in computer
use and in using any of the six devices, were recorded before
starting the experiment. After that, participants were seated
comfortably in front of the notebook, which was used for administering the test and for recording the pointing movements.
The notebook was placed on a desk. Participants were free to adjust
the viewing distance to suit their needs. The adopted viewing
distances ranged between 40 cm and 60 cm. Participants were
allowed to position the device at the most comfortable position to
the left or to the right side of the notebook, except in the cases of
the built-in touchpad and gamepad. The built-in touchpad was
integrated in the keyboard of the notebook and positioned in the
sagittal plane of the participant. Participants used their index finger
to operate the built-in touchpad. The same finger was used to
operate the external touchpad. The gamepad was held with both
hands on the lap. Participants were free to operate any of the two
levers of the gamepad with their preferred thumb.