Many text entry methods are available in the use of touch interface devices when using a screen reader, and blind smartphone users and their supporters are eager to know which one is the easiest to learn and the fastest. Thus, we compared the text entry speeds and error counts for four combinations of software keyboards and character-selecting gestures over a period of five days. The split-tap gesture on the Japanese numeric keypad was found to be the fastest across the five days even though this text entry method produced the most errors. The two entry methods on the QWERTY keyboard were slower than the two entry methods on the numeric keypad. This difference in text entry speed was explained by the differences in key pointing and tapping times and their repitition numbers among different methods.

Smartphones have become vital devices in the current on-the-go Thai culture. Typically, virtual keyboards serve as tools for text input on smartphones. Due to the limited screen area and the large number of Thai characters, the size of each button on the keyboard is quite small. This leads to character mistyping and low typing speed. In this paper, we present a typical framework of a Thai Input Method on smartphones which includes four processes; Character Candidate Generation, Word Candidate Generation, Word Candidate Display, and Model Update. This framework not only works with Thai, it works with other letter-based languages as well. We also review virtual keyboards and techniques currently used and available for Thai text input.

When attackers compromise a client system, they can steal user input. We propose a distributed one-time keyboard system to prevent information leakage via keyboard typing. We define the problem of secure keyboard arrangement over distributed multi-devices and channels. An analytical model is proposed for the optimal keyboard layout.

An eyegaze interface is one of the key technologies as an input device in the ubiquitous-computing society. In particular, an eyegaze communication system is very important and useful for severely handicapped users such as quadriplegic patients. Most of the conventional eyegaze tracking algorithms require specific light sources, equipment and devices. In this study, a simple eyegaze detection algorithm is proposed using a single monocular video camera. The proposed algorithm works under the condition of fixed head pose, but slight movement of the face is accepted. In our system, we assume that all users have the same eyeball size based on physiological eyeball models. However, we succeed to calibrate the physiologic movement of the eyeball center depending on the gazing direction by approximating it as a change in the eyeball radius. In the gaze detection stage, the iris is extracted from a captured face frame by using the Hough transform. Then, the eyegaze angle is derived by calculating the Euclidean distance of the iris centers between the extracted frame and a reference frame captured in the calibration process. We apply our system to an eyegaze communication interface, and verified the performance through key typing experiments with a visual keyboard on display.

Making information technology (IT) more accessible to elderly users is an important objective, in particular, concerning input devices. In this study, it has been investigated how the aging factor and the letter (character) size of a keyboard affects the efficiency in data entry. In addition, computer experience by the elderly was examined relative to efficiency. The performance measures (entry speed and correctly entered number per min) were twice better in a young group of computer users than in middle-aged and elderly groups. The effect of the size of the keyboard letters on performance was observed for the middle-aged and elderly groups who had no experience using a computer. The young, middle-aged, and elderly groups with computer experience were not affected by the size of the keyboard letters.

Most of the current research is focused on the row-column scanning keyboard interface for English letter and number input. At the present time, there are insufficient methods to control the computer mouse effectively. In this study, a categorized row-column scanning computer interface is developed to improve the conventional single key-in row-column scanning method. The beneficial developments include: speed enhancement by categorizing radicals of keyboard, input control of mouse, and multiple selection of input methods such as surface electromyographic (SEMG) control, breath pressure sensibility control with puff, force sensibility control, infrared sensibility control and single key-in control. Meanwhile, an enhancement software package is developed to increase the row-column scanning keyboard capabilities and to upgrade the completeness of the computer mouse for the disabled persons to control the operation of data entry and the associated implementation better.

When we design a human interface of a computer-mediated communication (CMC) system, it is important to take a socio-behavioral approach for understanding the nature of the human communication. From this point of view, we conducted experimental observations and post-experimental questionnaires to investigate communicative characteristics in a teleconference using Fujitsu Habitat" visual telecommunication software. We experimentally held the following three kinds of small-group conferences consisting of five geographically distributed participants: (a) teleconference using a visual telecommunication system (Fujitsu Habitat"), (b) teleconference using a real-time keyboard telecommunication system of NIFTY-Serve and (c) live face to face physical conference. Analyses were made on (1) effects of the media on utterance behaviors of conference members, and (2) satisfaction of conference members with communicative functions of the media. Satisfaction was measured by a seven-level rating scale. We found that participants in a telconference held by using Habitat showed significant differences in contents of utterances and the rating of satisfaction with nine communicative functions compared with those of conferences held by using a real-time keyboard telecommunication system and a live face-to-face conference. These results suggest some features that could facilitate multi-participant on-line electronic conferences and conversations.