Abstract: This paper presents Lazy Selection, a scribble-based tool for quick selection of one or more desired shape elements by roughly stroking through the elements. Our algorithm automatically refines the selection and reveals the user's intention. To give the user maximum flexibility but least ambiguity, our technique first extracts selection candidates from the scribble-covered elements by examining the underlying patterns and then ranks them based on their location and shape with respect to the user-sketched scribble. Such a design makes our tool tolerant to imprecise input systems and applicable to touch systems without suffering from the fat finger problem. A preliminary evaluation shows that compared to the standard click and lasso selection tools, which are the most commonly used, our technique provides significant improvements in efficiency and flexibility for many selection scenarios.