Does a Trackball make you more productive?

Question

Does using trackballs instead of mice makes you more productive?

Are there any scientific studies on this subject?

Answer 1

I use a trackball mouse controlled by thumb, so my experience may be different.

Some benefits of a trackball mouse:

• More ergonomic: You only have to move your thumb, rather than your whole arm.

• More portable: You don't have to sacrifice the luxury of a good mouse, when you don't have space for a mouse pad.

• Easier to move the mouse great distances. Rather than having to pick up the whole mouse over and over, you can just spin it with your thumb.

For gaming, I find the trackball to be better for first-person shooters. It's easier to spin around, aim, and follow moving targets. On the other hand, I find the traditional mouse better for real-time strategy games, which involve clicking and dragging in random places very quickly. Hopefully, this sheds some light on what a trackball mouse is and isn't good for.

So in general, it depends on the nature of your work. If it involves moving the cursor around a lot in a small area, you should probably stick with a traditional mouse. But if you find yourself picking up your mouse a lot to pan over, say, huge drawings, then you stand to benefit from a trackball mouse. If you don't use the mouse intensively, then you may want to consider a trackball mouse, for the reasons listed above.

Answer 2

Of course, answers to your question depend on the type of computer work. However, for typical day to day work (reading emails, browsing the web, working with office documents, etc.) if you want to increase productivity I wholeheartedly recommend that you try to avoid any type of mouse pointer or similar. Use the keyboard and keyboard shortcuts where ever possible!

If you need to use a pointing device, try to avoid frequent switching from keyboard to pointer and back. You are simply wasting time. (This is where pointing sticks/trackpoints have an advantage over other pointing devices because of the fact that the hands do not need to change position when switching.)

I do not think that the use of any pointing device generally creates higher productivity. But I do think that individually one may increase productivity largely. The main reason being that the chosen pointing device simply fits the person and the tasks. And let's not just think about adults: Children might enjoy a trackball with light and sound effects while parents would rather stay away from it ;-)

Talking about ergonomics (and hence productivity), trackballs might indeed have 1 advantage especially for right-handed people: On typical modern PC keyboards more special functions are on the right side. This has the effect that the left hand most of the time keeps its position whereas the right hand moves a lot (Enter, Backspace, cursor keys, etc.). People who use a pointing device at the right side of the keyboard move their arms even more so.

I do not know of any scientific studies but I guess they exist since this imbalance is quite apparent. To my mind, some back and neck pain might be a direct result. Needless to say, this decreases productivity.

Of course, one can just put the mouse to the left side but many people find it difficult to navigate with a mouse that has just switched sides whereas those who I know who tried a trackball (especially the symmetric ones) did not report these difficulties. (Disclaimer: I only have reports of 4 trackball users.)

Final note: Personally, I think that with a trackball I can move the pointer on the screen faster and with higher precision. So, if you have a chance to try one don't miss it. But remember, for productivity the keyboard is king.

Summary

• For productivity, avoid mouse pointers and use keyboard shortcuts.
• Also, try to avoid frequent changes between devices (e.g. from keyboard to trackball and back).
• Productivity of pointing devices might differ generally, but individual preferences probably have a much larger influence.
• Due to the imbalance of PC keyboards, for ergonomic reasons I recommend to place pointing devices on the left side! Symmetrically built trackballs allow to switch sides easily.
• If you have the chance to try a trackball don't miss it :-)

Answer 3

I can only offer statistics with sample size 1, but for me working with it is less exhaustive than using a mouse because I only have to work with the thumb, instead of the hand and lower arm.

Answer 4

I used a Kensington Pro Mouse ($120 at the time) for about 8 years until it croaked a few months ago. I replaced it with a cheapo Logitech mouse from Costco for $20 or so. No difference in productivity for me with either device.

Answer 5

Dependencies here are personal preference and the types of tasks you do on the computer.
Personally I find the combination between a trackpoint and a mouse to be perfect. For quick normal interactions with the GUI in between typing, the trackpoint takes away the need to move a hand to the mouse. For anything of longer duration, or more complex, the mouse is clearly superior.
Caveat: Trackpoints take quite a while to adjust to, and are initially frustrating to use.

Answer 6

I don't about scientific studies or anything, but personally any experience I have had with a trackball has slowed me down. Please bare in mind that I have cerebral palsy though.

The thing is as well, you don't want to get to attached, or used to something because you will not always be able to use it! For example: I use a USB touchpad on PC's (because I find them the most efficient and easiest way), but it is a real pain transporting it and trying to make it work on certain computers, etc.