An Adaptive Text Entry Method Based On Single- Key Minimal Scan Matrix for People with Severe Motor Disabilities

Virtual scanning keyboards (VSK) are used by people with severe motor disabilities as text entry and augmentative communication aids. These techniques applying virtual keyboard (VK) with scanning and access switch as alternative input method. The common Arabic VK layout is derived from the Arabic typewriter keyboard layout and not optimized for command entry speed and has several problems. This study was to design an alternative Arabic VSK (non-QWERTY key layout) and evaluate the performance and effectiveness of this innovative layout design for people with severe physical disability. The VSK layout was designed based on human- computer interactions (HCIs) and frequency-of-use for every user, employs the block-row-item and row-item scanning techniques. A repeated experiment was performed to compare the speed and accuracy of communication and text entry between the proposed method and the built in Windows 7 QWERTY virtual keyboard. Data analysis indicates that the proposed method provided better performance for the participant without increasing task difficulty. The performance enhancement of the proposed method is demonstrated in the paper with user testing results.

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