Perceptual Grouping: Selection Assistance for Digital Sketching

Modifying a digital sketch may require multiple selections before a particular editing tool can be applied. Especially on large interactive surfaces, such interactions can be fatiguing. To address this issue, we propose a method, called Suggero, to facilitate the selection process of digital ink. Suggero identifies groups of perceptually related drawing objects. These \“perceptual groups\” are then used to suggest possible selection extensions in response to a person\’s initial selection. Two studies were conducted. First, a background study investigated participant\’s expectations of such a selection assistance tool. Then, an empirical study compared the effectiveness of Suggero with an existing manual selection technique. Study results revealed that selections required fewer pen interactions and less pen movement with Suggero, suggesting that Suggero helps minimize fatigue during digital sketching.