DIGITIZED DATA INPUT DEVICE AND METHOD

The disclosure deals with a system and method for digitized data user-input device and method. In one exemplary embodiment, improved system and method are described for measuring user-controlled inputs. One exemplary such method relates to methodology for capturing, measuring, storing, analyzing, and reporting data corresponding to subjective experiences, particularly such as those of patients. The subject matter is particularly useful in the arena or field of healthcare generally, but can also be advantageously used for a wider setting of applications. A collection of images becomes representation of a continuum of images between polar images. As a controller is manipulated by a user, the images are displayed in direct relationship to the position of the slider. Only one image is visible at any time. The continuum of images may differ in step-wise progressions of shape, size, position of component elements, color, line density, rotation, skew, scale, or in other ways, such as opacity. The created collection of images creates in essence an animation, so that the progression of images are displayed, one at a time, in fixed sequence, beginning with one polarity and progressing through to the other polarity. Images in a given continuum (or collection of images) are assigned numerical values, e.g., from 1 - 21, or from 0 - 100, or otherwise, so as to represent scaled values. Likewise, the position of the control mechanism may be assigned scaled values, and the two may be correlated, so that the system determines a numerical input based on the user's manipulation of images.