Size matters: performance declines if your pixels are too big or too small

Abstract: We present a conceptual model that describes the effect of pixel size on target acquisition. We demonstrate the use of our conceptual model by applying it to predict and explain the results of an experiment to evaluate users' performance in a target acquisition task involving three distinct display sizes: standard desktop, small and large displays. The results indicate that users are fastest on standard desktop displays, undershoots are the most common error on small displays and overshoots are the most common error on large displays. We propose heuristics to maintain usability when changing displays. Finally, we contribute to the growing body of evidence that amplitude does affect performance in a display-based pointing task.