Crownboard: A One-Finger Crown-Based Smartwatch Keyboard for Users with Limited Dexterity

Abstract

Mobile text entry is difficult for people with motor impairments due to limited access to smartphones and the need for precise target selection on touchscreens. Text entry on smartwatches, on the other hand, has not been well explored for the population. Crownboard enables people with limited dexterity enter text on a smartwatch using its crown. It uses an alphabetical layout divided into eight zones around the bezel. The zones are scanned either automatically or manually by rotating the crown, then selected by pressing the crown. Crownboard decodes zone sequences into words and displays word suggestions. We validated its design in multiple studies. First, a comparison between manual and automated scanning revealed that manual scanning is faster and more accurate. Second, a comparison between clockwise and shortest-path scanning identified the former to be faster and more accurate. In the final study with representative users, only 30% participants could use the default Qwerty. They were 9% and 23% faster with manual and automated Crownboard, respectively. All participants were able to use both variants of Crownboard.