Why axis inversion? Optimizing interactions between users, interfaces, and visual displays in 3D environments.

Abstract

From video games to laparoscopic surgeries, individual differences in users’ abilities to effectivelyadapt to new control schemes when interacting with 2D displays as proxies for 3D environments canhave significant, even deadly impacts on performance. Starting with the question of why some videogame players invert the y-axis on their console controllers, this work aims to provide a foundation forfuture investigations of how inconsistent control schemes (e.g., an inverted camera view) cansignificantly impact performance. We argue that fragmented research across human factors,ergonomics, cognitive science, and related fields hinders a unified understanding of how the spatialrelationships between users, interfaces, and visual displays affect performance. Therefore, we beginwith a multidisciplinary literature synthesis, clarify existing findings, and identify methodologicalinconsistencies that contribute to conflicting results. We then explore the relationship between y-axisinversion preference and key behavioral and cognitive factors in a group of experienced 3rd persongamers. Based on the results of this preliminary study contextualized within the reviewed literature, wepropose a “general purpose” framework to systematically investigate how control inversion and visualinput influence perception and performance across various movement goals, applicable to both singleand multi-user real-world situations.