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Reviewer: Michael P. Tarka

As anyone who recently has visited a computer supply store knows, there has been a proliferation of classes and styles of computer pointing devices. Some of these are general-purpose pointing devices for interfacing with many types of applications. Others are geared toward specific types of applications (flight simulators, for example). The development of laptop computers has led to the development of smaller pointing devices integrated into a laptop's keyboard. Which type of pointing device is best__?__ The answer depends on the ergonomics of the pointing device in combination with the task to which it is applied. In this book, the authors present a comprehensive review of the ergonomics of pointing devices. They identify three goals for the book: to provide a basic background in the human performance research relevant to pointing devices; to demonstrate the value of empirical studies in the evaluation and design of pointing devices; and to discuss the future of pointing devices. They have targeted the book to a broad audience, including pointing device designers, human factors engineers, ergonomists, and human-computer interaction designers<__?__Pub Caret> and researchers. Chapter 1 focuses on the importance of usability in the design and development of pointing devices. The authors advocate integrating empirical studies into the pointing device design, development, and evaluation process, a central theme reflected throughout the book. Chapter 2 contains a high-level survey of psychomotor research on human pointing. Chapter 3 focuses on the ergonomics of computer pointing devices, relating the psychomotor research to the devices. Chapter 4 surveys ergonomic studies by pointing device type and presents comparisons between device types. Chapters 5 and 6 contain case studies of an experimental comparison of a mouse and an isometric joystick located on a keyboard. In chapter 7, the performance modeling literature is reviewed, and the authors discuss the usefulness of these models for predicting pointing device performance. In the final chapter, the authors summarize the findings of pointing device research efforts and discuss the new ISO 9241 standard for pointing devices. The chapter concludes with a description of innovations in pointing device design and a discussion of future research directions for the design and development of pointing devices. The authors have achieved all of their goals for the book. It is organized extremely well. Each chapter begins with a statement of purpose and chapter summary and ends with a review of the key points made in the chapter. The book is well written and offers something for everyone in its target audience. Researchers are provided with an excellent summary of the human performance research into pointing devices and an extensive bibliography, while human factors practitioners are provided with a reference book that discusses some of the key issues and tradeoffs in selecting pointing devices for an application. There is sufficient breadth of coverage of pointing device ergonomics. References to more detailed sources are provided where appropriate. The book would be a welcome addition to the reference library of anyone working in the field of human-computer interaction who has to design, develop, or select a pointing device.