Exploring Foot-Operated Input for Desktop Applications
Nicole Schönwerth, Andreas Schmid, Raphael Wimmer, Niels Henze · 2025
There is a rich history of foot-operated machinery, ranging from treadmill-powered lathes to modern vehicles. Even though early HCI research explored general-purpose foot input, most modern day research on this topic focuses either on gesture-based interaction or very specific application scenarios. Today, working on a desktop or laptop computer relies almost exclusively on users’ hands, leaving their feet unoccupied. Therefore, we explore how foot-operated input devices can be incorporated in modern office workflows. We first gathered design requirements and use cases in multiple focus groups sessions. Based on our findings, we conducted a five-day diary study with twelve participants incorporating off-the-shelf footswitches with customizable functions into their usual workflows. Throughout the study, all participants continued to use the footswitches mainly for secondary tasks, such as controlling media playback or triggering shortcuts. We conclude that even simple foot-operated input devices with customizable functions can improve user experience and help users work more efficiently.