Text entry from power wheelchairs: edgewrite for joysticks and touchpads

Power wheelchair joysticks have been used to control a mouse cursor on desktop computers, but they offer no integrated text entry solution, confining users to point-and-click or point-anddwell with on-screen keyboards. But on-screen keyboards reduce useful screen real-estate, exacerbate the need for frequent window management, and impose a second focus of attention. By contrast, we present two integrated gestural text entry methods designed for use from power wheelchairs: one for joysticks and the other for touchpads. Both techniques are adaptations of EdgeWrite, originally a stylus-based unistroke method designed for people with tremor. In a preliminary study of 7 power wheelchair users, we found that touchpad EdgeWrite was faster than joystick WiVik, and joystick EdgeWrite was only slightly slower after minimal practice. These findings reflect “walk up and use”-ability and warrant further investigation into extended use. Categories and Subject Descriptors H.5.2 [Information Inte...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2004
• Where: ASSETS
• Authors: Jacob O. Wobbrock, Brad A. Myers, Htet Htet Aung, Edmund F. LoPresti
• Keywords: ASSETS 2004, On-screen Keyboards, Text Entry, Text Entry Solution