hardware - Why did the mouse beat the light pen, paddle, and other pointing devices?

I recently watched the mother of all demos from 1968 which did an excellent job of showing how computers can be personal.

Something that stood out to me was the mouse. This device has remained pretty much the same since 1968. The inventors couldn't even remember who first called it a mouse and they said they had created about 5 different devices to help a user point at things on the screen but everyone in the lab preferred the mouse.

About 12 years ago I had the opportunity to watch an adult try and use a mouse for the first time. It looked incredibly awkward and frustrating.

What is it about the mouse that makes it a good user experience? If you disagree that the mouse provides a good user experience then why do people seem to prefer it over other pointing devices?

One final question, what would it take to make a computer mouse obsolete?

(I don't recall ever seeing a mouse used in Star Trek or Star Wars)

Answer

Positive aspects of the mouse user experience:

• The mouse position on the mouse pad is highly analogous to the position of the cursor on the screen. Two-dimensional movement of the mouse on its resting surface translates into two-dimensional movement of the cursor on the screen.


• The user can take hold of the mouse and can release the mouse without affecting the position of the cursor. Beginning to use the mouse does not reset the position of the cursor (unlike touch screens). Slight movements of the cursor can thus be effected by slight movements of the mouse.


• Rapid movements of the cursor can be accomplished with precision (unlike a joystick). Once a user is comfortable with the mouse, moving to a specific point in two dimensions becomes very quick. Take note of the quick and accurate input employed in first-person shooters.


• There is nothing to hold up, so the hand can be at rest when using the mouse (unlike a pen). In addition, the cursor can be moved across the screen a great distance without needing to move one's hand very far (and the movement/acceleration rates can be configurable).



• The mouse is separate from the screen, so using it does not obscure the display apart from the pixels of the cursor, which are arguably part of the display rather than part of the input (cursors are also used when editing text on a touchscreen, for example).


• The pressure exerted to click a mouse button is perpendicular to both axes of movement which minimizes unintentional input (trackballs are even better at this, but pressing a button on something like a Wii remote is difficult to do without also causing the cursor to move).