Digital Art Tools Comparison: Tablets, Mice, and Trackpads for Precision Work
I spent a month comparing drawing tablets, mice, and trackpads for precision drawing games. The results changed which tools I recommend. When I started building precision drawing games, I assumed that a drawing tablet would be the best input device. The stylus is the natural drawing tool, and tablets are designed for digital art. But I wanted to test the assumption, because most of my users do not have drawing tablets. They use mice, trackpads, or touchscreens. I spent a month comparing four input devices for precision drawing tasks, and the results surprised me. The tablet was not always the best, and the differences between devices had implications for game design that I had not considered. Methodology I tested four devices: a Wacom Intuos drawing tablet with stylus, a standard optical mouse, a MacBook trackpad, and a touchscreen. For each device, I performed the same set of precision tasks: drawing straight lines, drawing circles, tracing shapes, and freehand drawing. Each task was performed twenty times per device, and I recorded the accuracy score, the time to completion, and my subjective experience. The tasks were the same ones available on this site, so the scoring was consistent with what users experience. More guides are on the Draw Perfect Blog.