LibPad: Analyzing the Impact of OS-Specific Transfer Functions on Touchpad Pointing Performance

초록

Touchpads are essential input devices commonly integrated into laptops. Some users have pointed out that touchpad usability may vary depending on operating system (OS), with MacBook trackpads often cited as offering superior user experiences. Despite this strong user interest, prior research has primarily focused on hardware factors (e.g., surface friction, touchpad size), while software-level factors remain underexplored. To address this gap, we present LibPad, a toolkit for applying OS-specific transfer functions to different hardware. We investigate how transfer function differences across OS affect pointing performance across laptop hardware. Our findings reveal significant performance differences both across hardware under identical transfer functions and within same hardware under different configurations. These results highlight the importance of software-level considerations in enhancing touchpad usability.

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