On-line personalization of a touch screen based keyboard

The user expectations for usability and personalization along with decreasing size of handheld devices challenge traditional keypad layout design. We have developed a method for on-line adaptation of a touch pad keyboard layout. The method starts from an original layout and monitors the usage of the keyboard by recording and analyzing the keystrokes. An on-line learning algorithm subtly moves the keys according to the spatial distribution of keystrokes. In consequence, the keyboard matches better to the user’s physical extensions and grasp of the device, and makes the physical trajectories during typing more comfortable. We present two implementations that apply different vector quantization algorithms to produce an adaptive keyboard with visual on-line feedback. Both qualitative and quantitative results show that the changes in the keyboard are consistent, and related to the user's handedness and hand extensions. The testees found the on-line personalization positive. The meth...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2003
• Where: IUI
• Authors: Johan Himberg, Jonna Häkkilä, Petri Kangas, Jani Mäntyjärvi
• Keywords: IUI 2003, On-line Personalization, Pad Keyboard Layout, Software Engineering, Traditional Keypad Layout