The use of virtual environments with three-dimensional (3D) input devices such as data gloves is becoming increasingly important in medical imaging. This paper compares user performance with respect to a number of imaging tasks, using 3D as well as traditional two-dimensional (2D) input devices.

Users were divided into several demographic groups, based on factors including age and gender. Each person was required to perform several image manipulation tasks using 3D and 2D input devices. Performance was measured by monitoring both accuracy and speed. The data was analyzed statistically to identify significant performance differences between input devices, as well as among the demographic groups.

The research found that younger males achieved the best performance with the 3D input devices (the authors speculate that this result may be due to the video gaming experience typical of young males). The data also reveals that the efficacy of 3D devices over their equivalent 2D devices was task specific.

The implication of the results of this research for design practice is that developers should be very careful when integrating 3D technology into medical user interfaces. There appear to be situations and user demographics for which performance would be hindered, and other applications and demographics for which performance would improve. This research will be of interest to human factors practitioners and developers of medical imaging systems.