Investigating Tilt-based Gesture Keyboard Entry for Single-Handed Text Entry on Large Devices

The popularity of mobile devices with large screens is making single-handed interaction difficult. We propose and evaluate a novel design point around a tilt-based text entry technique which supports single handed usage. Our technique is based on the gesture keyboard (shape writing). However, instead of drawing gestures with a finger or stylus, users articulate a gesture by tilting the device. This can be especially useful when the user's other hand is otherwise encumbered or unavailable. We show that novice users achieve an entry rate of 15 words-per-minute (wpm) after minimal practice. A pilot longitudinal study reveals that a single participant achieved an entry rate of 32 wpm after approximate 90 minutes of practice. Our data indicate that tilt-based gesture keyboard entry enables walk-up use and provides a suitable text entry rate for occasional use and can act as a promising alternative to single-handed typing in certain situations.

[1]  I. Scott MacKenzie,et al.  Gestural Text Entry Using Huffman Codes , 2013 .

[2]  Roderick Murray-Smith,et al.  Hex: Dynamics and Probabilistic Text Entry , 2003, European Summer School on Multi-AgentControl.

[3]  Anastasia Bezerianos,et al.  Coordination of tilt and touch in one- and two-handed use , 2014, CHI.

[4]  I. Scott MacKenzie,et al.  Gathering text entry metrics on android devices , 2011, CHI EA '11.

[5]  Janet C. Read,et al.  Exploring tilt-based text input for mobile devices with teenagers , 2013, BCS HCI.

[6]  Shumin Zhai,et al.  Touch behavior with different postures on soft smartphone keyboards , 2012, Mobile HCI.

[7]  Khai N. Truong,et al.  Disambiguation of imprecise input with one-dimensional rotational text entry , 2014, TCHI.

[8]  Shumin Zhai,et al.  SHARK2: a large vocabulary shorthand writing system for pen-based computers , 2004, UIST '04.

[9]  Kasper Hornbæk,et al.  Vulture: a mid-air word-gesture keyboard , 2014, CHI.

[10]  Shumin Zhai,et al.  Shorthand writing on stylus keyboard , 2003, CHI '03.

[11]  Per Ola Kristensson,et al.  Discrete and Continuous Shape Writing for Text Entry and Control , 2007 .

[12]  Robert J. Teather,et al.  Position vs. velocity control for tilt-based interaction , 2014, Graphics Interface.

[13]  Brad A. Myers,et al.  Analyzing the input stream for character- level errors in unconstrained text entry evaluations , 2006, TCHI.

[14]  Joanna Bergstrom-Lehtovirta,et al.  Modeling the functional area of the thumb on mobile touchscreen surfaces , 2014, CHI.

[15]  Daniel J. Wigdor,et al.  TiltText: using tilt for text input to mobile phones , 2003, UIST '03.

[16]  Ahmed Sabbir Arif,et al.  A survey on mobile text entry handedness: How do users input text on handheld devices while nomadic? , 2012, 2012 4th International Conference on Intelligent Human Computer Interaction (IHCI).

[17]  Roderick Murray-Smith,et al.  Switching and Learning in Feedback Systems , 2008 .

[18]  Nicolas Roussel,et al.  1 € filter: a simple speed-based low-pass filter for noisy input in interactive systems , 2012, CHI.

[19]  Ken Hinckley,et al.  Sensor synaesthesia: touch in motion, and motion in touch , 2011, CHI.

[20]  Patrick Baudisch,et al.  Understanding touch , 2011, CHI.

[21]  Jinwook Seo,et al.  Understanding Users' Touch Behavior on Large Mobile Touch-Screens and Assisted Targeting by Tilting Gesture , 2015, CHI.

[22]  Per Ola Kristensson,et al.  Asynchronous Multimodal Text Entry Using Speech and Gesture Keyboards , 2011, INTERSPEECH.

[23]  Vibha Sazawal,et al.  TiltType: accelerometer-supported text entry for very small devices , 2002, UIST '02.

[24]  Vibha Sazawal,et al.  The Unigesture Approach , 2002, Mobile HCI.

[25]  Lars Weberg,et al.  A piece of butter on the PDA display , 2001, CHI Extended Abstracts.

[26]  Jun Rekimoto,et al.  Tilting operations for small screen interfaces , 1996, UIST '96.

[27]  I. Scott MacKenzie,et al.  Phrase sets for evaluating text entry techniques , 2003, CHI Extended Abstracts.

[28]  Yvonne Rogers,et al.  Fat Finger Worries: How Older and Younger Users Physically Interact with PDAs , 2005, INTERACT.

[29]  Per Ola Kristensson,et al.  Complementing text entry evaluations with a composition task , 2014, TCHI.

[30]  Stephen A. Brewster,et al.  Investigating the effects of encumbrance on one- and two- handed interactions with mobile devices , 2014, CHI.

[31]  Shumin Zhai,et al.  The word-gesture keyboard: reimagining keyboard interaction , 2012, CACM.

[32]  Sriram Subramanian,et al.  Tilt techniques: investigating the dexterity of wrist-based input , 2009, CHI.

[33]  William Buxton,et al.  Experimental study of stroke shortcuts for a touchscreen keyboard with gesture-redundant keys removed , 2014, Graphics Interface.

[34]  Shumin Zhai,et al.  WatchWriter: Tap and Gesture Typing on a Smartwatch Miniature Keyboard with Statistical Decoding , 2016, CHI.

[35]  Y. Guiard.  Asymmetric division of labor in human skilled bimanual action: the kinematic chain as a model. , 1987, Journal of motor behavior.

[36]  Shumin Zhai,et al.  Performance and User Experience of Touchscreen and Gesture Keyboards in a Lab Setting and in the Wild , 2015, CHI.

[37]  Sriram Subramanian,et al.  GesText: accelerometer-based gestural text-entry systems , 2010, CHI.

[38]  Patrick Baudisch,et al.  The generalized perceived input point model and how to double touch accuracy by extracting fingerprints , 2010, CHI.