Finding an Optimal Keyboard Layout for Swype
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Finding an Optimal Keyboard Layout for Swype
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Re: Finding an Optimal Keyboard Layout for Swype
#2Alternate keyboards have fascinated me ever since I first got a smartphone capable of using them. My most memorable experimental trials were 8pen[1] and one where the user would "slalom" from key to key as columns of letters would move from the right side of the screen to the left, expanding the target area in a fisheye type zoom as you neared your desired letter.
Unfortunately the name of the second keyboard evades me, but as a single-finger input it was fairly efficient, and I believe targeted at disabled people with limited mobility.
Re: Finding an Optimal Keyboard Layout for Swype
#3Alternate keyboards have fascinated me ever since I first got a smartphone capable of using them. My most memorable experimental trials were 8pen[1] and one where the user would "slalom" from key to key as columns of letters would move from the right side of the screen to the left, expanding the target area in a fisheye type zoom as you neared your desired letter. Unfortunately the name of the second keyboard evades…
The zooming keyboard sounds like Dasher: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasher_(software)
Re: Finding an Optimal Keyboard Layout for Swype
#4The first swype-like input system I used was the IBM Shark.
https://gigaom.com/2004/11/03/text_entry_epip/
That had hexagonal keys and used the ATOMIK layout. It also focussed much more on shape, with the intention being that once you were expert, you could write words without looking at the keyboard, as the layout was just for guidance. You didn't actually have to start on the letter as long as the shape was right.
Re: Finding an Optimal Keyboard Layout for Swype
#5Hmm.. can one create a custom layout for SwiftKey, then?
Re: Finding an Optimal Keyboard Layout for Swype
#6Hmm.. can one create a custom layout for SwiftKey, then?
I think it's a bit more complicated than just rearranging the layout since the autocorrect and the swipe interpretation algorithm are likely to depend on the specific layout. This way you could optimize the calculations to speed it up.
Re: Finding an Optimal Keyboard Layout for Swype
#7This was a fascinating article. The first thing that jumped out at me when I reached the end was "there's no way this would ever work."
I am a Swype user and love the product, but I'm reasonably fast at typing on it because I know the QWERTY layout like the back of my hand. Switching to a new layout would bring me back to a crawl. I'd probably be better off typing on a 9-digit pre-smartphone keypad at that point.
Cool things to consider though. I love the idea of an alternate and more efficient keyboard, but at around 140wpm, the idea of mentally and physically training myself to learn a new one at this stage in the game is sub-optimal.
Re: Finding an Optimal Keyboard Layout for Swype
#8This was a fascinating article. The first thing that jumped out at me when I reached the end was "there's no way this would ever work." I am a Swype user and love the product, but I'm reasonably fast at typing on it because I know the QWERTY layout like the back of my hand. Switching to a new layout would bring me back to a crawl. I'd probably be better off typing on a 9-digit pre-smartphone keypad at that point. Coo…
I actually don't think it would be that bad. Learning T9 wasn't so hard. And I believe that the muscle memory for typing and swyping is totally different, at least based on my anecdotal evidence:
I've used Dvorak on all my computers for about 10 years, but my phones are still QWERTY. I've tried switching my phone to Dvorak, but found that the typos were much worse (because dvorak clusters all the most used letters on home row, which is close to the "worst" swype layout in the article).
For the times I tried Dvorak on the phone, retraining myself was indeed cumbersome, but I don't think it was too bad. I thought that it would be easier, since I had Dvorak in my brain, but the muscle memory for hitting a key with a certain finger moving a certain direction is totally different from swiping or taping a certain location on the screen.
Re: Finding an Optimal Keyboard Layout for Swype
#9This was a fascinating article. The first thing that jumped out at me when I reached the end was "there's no way this would ever work." I am a Swype user and love the product, but I'm reasonably fast at typing on it because I know the QWERTY layout like the back of my hand. Switching to a new layout would bring me back to a crawl. I'd probably be better off typing on a 9-digit pre-smartphone keypad at that point. Coo…
I actually don't think it would be that bad. Learning T9 wasn't so hard. And I believe that the muscle memory for typing and swyping is totally different, at least based on my anecdotal evidence: I've used Dvorak on all my computers for about 10 years, but my phones are still QWERTY. I've tried switching my phone to Dvorak, but found that the typos were much worse (because dvorak clusters all the most used letters on…
I use dvorak on all my computers, but in my experience dvorak on the phone is terrible because the vowels are clumped together.
Re: Finding an Optimal Keyboard Layout for Swype
#10Alternate keyboards have fascinated me ever since I first got a smartphone capable of using them. My most memorable experimental trials were 8pen[1] and one where the user would "slalom" from key to key as columns of letters would move from the right side of the screen to the left, expanding the target area in a fisheye type zoom as you neared your desired letter. Unfortunately the name of the second keyboard evades…
I also used that keyboard for a short while. Currently, I use 5 Tiles [0]. I can get to 20-30 wpm with it, which is acceptable, though not as fast as a regular keyboard. The killer feature is that it takes up less than 10% of the screen, rather than the ~40% a conventional one would.
Gripes: it's not great for symbol input (you have to remember all sorts of crazy zigzaggy patterns, or pull up a list which defeats the whole point of not taking up half the screen) and auto-capitalisation doesn't really work. But I use it as my regular keyboard and it does the job.