A Minimal Device-Independent Text Input Method
Recently the need to write text on paper with a pen has diminished. One reason
for this development is the emergence of various portable computing
and communications devices. Each device typically has its own method for text
input. Some rely on miniature keyboards while others are used with a stylus.
This means that a person owning several of these gadgets needs to
learn many writing methods. In an attempt to alleviate the user's learning
burden we have constructed a minimal device-independent
text input method which can be used with a variety of input devices.
In our experiment with five volunteers we found the method to be rather slow at
7.6 words per minute after five hours of practice. A handheld touchpad
was used for the practice period. After the practice we measured the
writing speed and error rate for mouse, trackball, joystick and keyboard
without device specific training. We found that the writing speed is only
slightly slower with unpracticed devices. The error rate varied more between
the devices. Keyboard and joystick had the best error rates of roughly 3%.
Trackball was the worst with 7% of characters requiring corrections.