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Text editing on mobile: the invisible problem

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Re: Text editing on mobile: the invisible problem

#581

Post by majewsky »

edanm wrote: post #566
jillesvangurp wrote: post #458

People produce less text with more errors in more time on mobile. I actively avoid having to type anything on mobile. If I have my laptop open, I'll use whatsapp or signal on that. I often wait replying on either of those until I get my laptop. Just way less frustrating to not have to correct >25% of my key presses. If I have to use the mobile keyboard, I'll often just send a message with typos, no capitals, and skip…

What I don't understand is why speech-to-text is so bad (on the iPhone at least), and it's related to this editing issue. Text to speech will never be a perfect replacement for other forms of text entry, because you're limited in when you can use it. But it's so close to being good. The main issues are so easy to solve, they're just silly UI issues around editing. You can enter text verbally, it works surprisingly we…

I believe you mean speech-to-text, not text-to-speech, right?

Re: Text editing on mobile: the invisible problem

#582

Post by devilbunny »

ok123456 wrote: post #492
jillesvangurp wrote: post #458

People produce less text with more errors in more time on mobile. I actively avoid having to type anything on mobile. If I have my laptop open, I'll use whatsapp or signal on that. I often wait replying on either of those until I get my laptop. Just way less frustrating to not have to correct >25% of my key presses. If I have to use the mobile keyboard, I'll often just send a message with typos, no capitals, and skip…

It was much better when you could get phones with physical keyboards. Only recently has swipe on android gotten to the accuracy of typing on a physical phone keyboard, but not the accuracy. But, that was lost because of the iphonification of the whole smart phone sector.

There was a near-perfect solution on Android for years: Swype.

Why the people that bought it buried it, I can never understand. It was so much better - even ten years ago - than modern swiping keyboards. It even had a layout that was just for editing.

Re: Text editing on mobile: the invisible problem

#583

Post by awinter-py »

SamuelAdams wrote: post #521
jillesvangurp wrote: post #458

People produce less text with more errors in more time on mobile. I actively avoid having to type anything on mobile. If I have my laptop open, I'll use whatsapp or signal on that. I often wait replying on either of those until I get my laptop. Just way less frustrating to not have to correct >25% of my key presses. If I have to use the mobile keyboard, I'll often just send a message with typos, no capitals, and skip…

This take is a little ironic. In the original iPhone keynote address [1], Steve Jobs specifically called out physical keyboards as a negative user experience. The advantage of the iPhone is that the entire device could adapt to whatever application you were currently using. That being said I still think you are right. Typing on iOS could be improved. [1]: https://youtu.be/x7qPAY9JqE4?si=9_jnM2Ys8JiTXGqC

I would say this vision could be realized if the iphone were able to grow a physical keyboard, and until then the entire device of the blackberry is more adapted to the applications I am using

Re: Text editing on mobile: the invisible problem

#584

Post by edanm »

majewsky wrote: post #581
edanm wrote: post #566

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What I don't understand is why speech-to-text is so bad (on the iPhone at least), and it's related to this editing issue. Text to speech will never be a perfect replacement for other forms of text entry, because you're limited in when you can use it. But it's so close to being good. The main issues are so easy to solve, they're just silly UI issues around editing. You can enter text verbally, it works surprisingly we…

I believe you mean speech-to-text , not text-to-speech , right?

Doh, Yes, of course. Edited.

Re: Text editing on mobile: the invisible problem

#585

Post by ptidhomme »

Woshiwuja wrote: post #554
lolinder wrote: post #487

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find that typing on a phone (iPhone or Android) these days is substantially easier than typing on an iPad because of swipe. It's still nowhere as efficient as a keyboard in the hands of a skilled typist, but I can often produce text fast enough that it isn't worth getting out my laptop. On an iPad it's far worse, because I actually do have to use the bad QWERTY touchscreen key-by-key. What I keep hoping for as far…

Swipe is terrible and i dont know how people even use it

I swipe with my index finder, holding the phone with my other hand, and I find that fairly efficient.

Re: Text editing on mobile: the invisible problem

#586

Post by pfooti »

One notable thing, I have linburg-comstock in my left hand, and this is apparently not uncommon (estimated to be around 30% of the population in one form or another, iirc).

This means I cannot curl my thumb without my pointer finger also curling. This is not something that can be stretched or relaxed or otherwise fixed without surgery- my tendons are cross-connected. The result is that typing on a cell phone keyboard ends up cramping my hand very quickly.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linburg%E2%80%93Comstock_varia...

Re: Text editing on mobile: the invisible problem

#587

Post by sameerds »

edanm wrote: post #584
majewsky wrote: post #581

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe you mean speech-to-text , not text-to-speech , right?

Doh, Yes, of course. Edited.

FWIW, I read the corrected comment and still read it as "text-to-speech". Then I saw the replies and scrolled up, and realized that my brain had read it wrong!

Re: Text editing on mobile: the invisible problem

#588

Post by earthboundkid »

xp84 wrote: post #539
earthboundkid wrote: post #498

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It never worked though. It would just pop in randomly at unexpected times. It sucked.

Hmm. It worked fabulously for me, and spared me from waiting a beat every. Single. Time. that I want to get what we now know as a long-press menu.

The problem was they made deep press and long press do different things, so it chose the wrong one regularly. I don't know why they ever thought that was a good idea. It was obvious that deep press should have just been "faster long press".

Re: Text editing on mobile: the invisible problem

#589

Post by Pxtl »

somethingsidont wrote: post #191
Pxtl wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In gboard we've already got modal stuff for numerical keypad, emojis, special characters (2 different modal pages), etc. Adding one more modal keyboard page for cursor-editing (arrow keys, ctrl-arrow-keys, home/end, pgup/godown, select-toggle-button, delete, rclick menu) would just make sense. Would just be getting the rest of the desktop keyboard into the phone keyboard, nothing groundbreaking.

This exists on Android Gboard, though it's hidden in some menus by default. [0] [0] https://www.xda-developers.com/gboard-v6-2-adds-cursor-contr... (2017)

Whoa, I had no idea (obviously). Note, that article is out of date, instead of the G icon, now it's a four-square icon. I don't know why they're not just using a standard hamburger icon, but whatever.

Re: Text editing on mobile: the invisible problem

#590

Post by redsharktooth »

thomastjeffery wrote: post #173
Pxtl wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In gboard we've already got modal stuff for numerical keypad, emojis, special characters (2 different modal pages), etc. Adding one more modal keyboard page for cursor-editing (arrow keys, ctrl-arrow-keys, home/end, pgup/godown, select-toggle-button, delete, rclick menu) would just make sense. Would just be getting the rest of the desktop keyboard into the phone keyboard, nothing groundbreaking.

They already have an option to move your visit by dragging across spacebar. Why not just replace half of the oversized spacebar key with something useful?

TIL, thanks!
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