Gestural query specification

Direct, ad-hoc interaction with databases has typically been performed over console-oriented conversational interfaces using query languages such as SQL. With the rise in popularity of gestural user interfaces and computing devices that use gestures as their exclusive modes of interaction, database query interfaces require a fundamental rethinking to work without keyboards. We present a novel query specification system that allows the user to query databases using a series of gestures. We present a novel gesture recognition system that uses both the interaction and the state of the database to classify gestural input into relational database queries. We conduct exhaustive systems performance tests and user studies to demonstrate that our system is not only performant and capable of interactive latencies, but it is also more usable, faster to use and more intuitive than existing systems.