Effects of compatibility and turning biases on arrowhead cursor placement in graphical user interfaces

Arrowhead cursors have the potential to generate response conflict, as they are used to signify location but also implicitly cue direction. This study considered the time course of the resolution of any response conflict. The interplay between object properties and action was addressed through consideration of the effects of arrowhead cursor orientation upon action. Twelve participants moved arrowhead cursors of four possible orientations with respect to direction of movement (compatible, incompatible, port, starboard) towards a square (4 mm or 8 mm) target in a graphical user interface. Kinematic analysis determined if and how an interplay existed between object properties and action. Cursor orientation primarily influenced cursor movement, with the effects manifesting during terminal guidance. The blunt end of an arrowhead cursor was moved faster by users, and there appeared to be turning biases during cursor placement. Arrowheads have a number of properties (vertex, orientation, width) that influence cursor placement in graphical user interfaces.