Microsoft Research: Buttons Beat Multitouch Mouse [Microsoft]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5626908/microsoft-research-buttons-beat-multitouch-mouse

Microsoft carried out some exhaustive research into the benefits of multitouch-enabled desktop mice over traditional desktop mice. And discovered there aren't really any benefits at all for most users, who prefer the speed offered by mechanical buttons and wheels.

The end result of the survey found that the traditional three button mouse was the quickest and easiest way for its 12 participants to navigate around and manipulate images on a screen, even when the test subjects could see their individual finger touches represented above their selections.

Here are the researchers in action:

Using the right button to rotate and the scroll wheel to scale pics won in terms of speed, and even when using the multitouch features users reverted to the old-fashioned "click and hold" technique for throwing pictures around the screen—because it's simply easier to move one finger at a time than two. [Microsoft via I Started Something]