JoyKey: One-handed hardware keyboard with 4 × 3 grid slide keys

Abstract

In this paper, we show a one-handed hardware keyboard with 4 × 3 grid slide keys, called a JoyKey. It can be used for Japanese text entry based on the flick input method. We conducted a user study to compare the accuracy and input speed of the JoyKey and a software keyboard on a touch screen under two conditions (eyes-free and non-eyes-free). Results show that the software keyboard cannot be used under the eyes-free condition because users cannot feel tactile feedback on a touch screen. In contrast, using the JoyKey, users can enter text under both the conditions with relative ease.