The unigesture approach: One-handed text entry for small devices

Abstract

The rise of small modern handhelds mandates innovation in user input techniques. Researchers have turned to tilt-based interfaces as a possible alternative for the stylus and keyboard. We have implemented Unigesture, a tilt-to-write system that enables one-handed text entry. With Unigesture, the user can jot a note with one hand while leaving the other hand free to hold a phone or perform other tasks. In this paper, we describe a prototype implementation of Unigesture and outline results of a user study. Our results show that individual variations among users, such as hand position, have the greatest effect on tilt-to-write performance.