A flexible on-screen keyboard: Dynamically adapting for individuals' needs

Abstract

This study was to design an alternative on-screen keyboard and evaluate the efficacy of this innovative layout design for people with severe physical disability. The matrix keyboard layouts was designed based on human computer interaction. A repeated experiment was performed to compare the speed and accuracy of text entry with point-and-click input method between the matrix on-screen keyboard and the Windows XP QWERTY virtual keyboard. Data analysis revealed that the matrix on-screen keyboard provided better performance for the participant. The result also indicates that layout adaptation assessment is a valid tool to confirm proper layout size for users and that alphabetic order is better than QWERTY order for a novice user to learn a new on-screen keyboard. A usability study was undertaken to evaluation the performance of the double click instead of the point-and-click plus Shift key input method. The possible causes of the results and suggestions for further studies are discussed. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007.