Figure 5: Participants for user study

4.1User study

4.1.1Objective

The objective of this exploration was to find the average size users take to write consonants and modifiers (matras) and to find relationship between handwriting styles with different pen grip diameter and tip thickness.

4.1.2Method

Each user was given a Hindi paragraph (76 words) and they had to copy this Hindi corpus in their own handwriting on the provided paper. They were given basic instructions explaining the task and the goal of the experiment.

Participants were provided with two different size blank papers (A4 = 21 cm x 29.8 cm and A5 = 14.8 cm x 21 cm). They were first asked to write on the A4 sized paper and then on A5 paper with 0.5mm pen and 9 mm finger grip diameter pen. Same activity was then repeated with 0.1 mm tip and 12mm finger grip diameter pen.

4.1.3Subjects

21 voluntary subjects took part in this study. All of them, 1 left-handed and 7 right-handed subjects had normal vision. All subjects were experienced computer users.

•7 HP labs Employee (who know Hindi and occasionally write in Hindi)

•11 Students from 10th standard, from a local high school in Bangalore (who have Hindi as second language and write Hindi regularly)

•3 Teachers from the same high school-Bangalore (who write in Hindi almost once everyday)

4.1.4Apparatus

4.1.4.1 Pen sizes:

•0.5 tip and 9mm diameter grip pen

•0.1 tip and 12mm diameter pen

4.1.4.2 Paper sizes:

•A4 = 21 cms x 29.8 cms

•A5 = 11.5 cms x 29.8 cms