Touchscreen Software Keyboard for Finger Typing
Kentaro Go, Yuki Endo · InTech eBooks · 2008
In this chapter, we examined the criteria of touchscreen keyboard text entry. We specifically emphasized the use of a touchscreen keyboard use for finger typing. We analyzed it from five aspects: screen size, touchscreen keyboard types, number of keys, typing device, and technique. Additionally, we described the CATKey design: it is a customizable and adaptable touchscreen keyboard with the bubble cursor-like visual feedback. Our criteria suggest that CATKey is better used for medium or larger touchscreen devices. Incorporating a soft keyboard approach, it has alphabetical keys. It specifically examines finger typing, but is useful for a stylus also. Although it has no prediction function, its keyboard layout can be customized. It has an adaptation function. Finally, its visual appearance has a bubble cursorlike visual feedback. Early results of evaluation show that the mean text entry speed and mean input error rate of CATKey are not significantly different from those of a standard software QWERTY keyboard. This result might indicate limitations of our design: users need a compelling reason to replace their text entry device from a static standard QWERTY keyboard from a performance viewpoint. Notwithstanding, during the debriefing interview, the participants expressed their preference for the design and usability of CATKey.