Skip to main content
Erschienen in: Universal Access in the Information Society 3/2023

17.02.2022 | Long Paper

Text entry for the Blind on Smartwatches

A study of Braille code input methods for a novel device

verfasst von: Mateus M. Luna, Hugo A. D. Nascimento, Aaron Quigley, Fabrizzio Soares

Erschienen in: Universal Access in the Information Society | Ausgabe 3/2023

Einloggen

Aktivieren Sie unsere intelligente Suche, um passende Fachinhalte oder Patente zu finden.

search-config
loading …

Abstract

The interaction challenges presented by touch-screen enabled devices for blind and visually impaired people has been addressed extensively in the literature. However, the emergence of wrist-worn devices with small screens, the so-called smartwatches, exacerbates such challenges. This paper presents an evaluation of text entry methods for smartwatches, covering three existing approaches—Voice Input and two QUERTY methods: GBoard, and A4Keyboard—and three Braille input methods proposed by the authors. Nine blind users and a low-vision participant composed sentences with the six methods. Speed and error rates are presented and preference data are analyzed, showing the approval of two Braille methods and a positive reception to one of the QWERTY methods, followed by the Voice Input. Each modality has its own set of strengths and weaknesses, which suggests room for improvement before the widespread adoption of smartwatch text entry as a reliable and accessible method for blind people.

Sie haben noch keine Lizenz? Dann Informieren Sie sich jetzt über unsere Produkte:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

  • über 102.000 Bücher
  • über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

  • Automobil + Motoren
  • Bauwesen + Immobilien
  • Business IT + Informatik
  • Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
  • Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
  • Finance + Banking
  • Management + Führung
  • Marketing + Vertrieb
  • Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
  • Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

Springer Professional "Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

  • über 67.000 Bücher
  • über 390 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

  • Automobil + Motoren
  • Bauwesen + Immobilien
  • Business IT + Informatik
  • Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
  • Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
  • Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe




 

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

  • über 67.000 Bücher
  • über 340 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

  • Bauwesen + Immobilien
  • Business IT + Informatik
  • Finance + Banking
  • Management + Führung
  • Marketing + Vertrieb
  • Versicherung + Risiko




Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

Literatur
3.
Zurück zum Zitat Alnfiai, M., Sampalli, S.: An evaluation of singletapbraille keyboard: a text entry method that utilizes braille patterns on touchscreen devices. In: Proceedings of the 18th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, ASSETS ’16, pp. 161–169. ACM, New York, NY, USA (2016). https://doi.org/10.1145/2982142.2982161 Alnfiai, M., Sampalli, S.: An evaluation of singletapbraille keyboard: a text entry method that utilizes braille patterns on touchscreen devices. In: Proceedings of the 18th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, ASSETS ’16, pp. 161–169. ACM, New York, NY, USA (2016). https://​doi.​org/​10.​1145/​2982142.​2982161
4.
Zurück zum Zitat Alnfiai, M., Sampalli, S.: BrailleEnter: a touch screen Braille text entry method for the blind. Proc. Comput. Sci. 109, 257–264 (2017)CrossRef Alnfiai, M., Sampalli, S.: BrailleEnter: a touch screen Braille text entry method for the blind. Proc. Comput. Sci. 109, 257–264 (2017)CrossRef
5.
Zurück zum Zitat Azenkot, S., Lee, N.B.: Exploring the use of speech input by blind people on mobile devices. In: Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, ASSETS ’13, pp. 11:1–11:8. ACM, New York, NY, USA (2013). https://doi.org/10.1145/2513383.2513440 Azenkot, S., Lee, N.B.: Exploring the use of speech input by blind people on mobile devices. In: Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, ASSETS ’13, pp. 11:1–11:8. ACM, New York, NY, USA (2013). https://​doi.​org/​10.​1145/​2513383.​2513440
6.
Zurück zum Zitat Bardot, S., Serrano, M., Jouffrais, C.: From tactile to virtual: using a smartwatch to improve spatial map exploration for visually impaired users. In: Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services, MobileHCI ’16, pp. 100–111. ACM, New York, NY, USA (2016). https://doi.org/10.1145/2935334.2935342 Bardot, S., Serrano, M., Jouffrais, C.: From tactile to virtual: using a smartwatch to improve spatial map exploration for visually impaired users. In: Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services, MobileHCI ’16, pp. 100–111. ACM, New York, NY, USA (2016). https://​doi.​org/​10.​1145/​2935334.​2935342
7.
Zurück zum Zitat Billah, S.M., Ashok, V., Ramakrishnan, I.: Write-it-yourself with the aid of smartwatches: a wizard-of-Oz experiment with blind people. In: 23rd International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces, IUI ’18, pp. 427–431. ACM, New York, NY, USA (2018). https://doi.org/10.1145/3172944.3173005 Billah, S.M., Ashok, V., Ramakrishnan, I.: Write-it-yourself with the aid of smartwatches: a wizard-of-Oz experiment with blind people. In: 23rd International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces, IUI ’18, pp. 427–431. ACM, New York, NY, USA (2018). https://​doi.​org/​10.​1145/​3172944.​3173005
10.
Zurück zum Zitat Britto Neto, L.d.S., Maike, V.R.M.L., Koch, F.L., Baranauskas, M.C.C., Rocha, A.d.R., Goldenstein, S.K.: A wearable face recognition system built into a smartwatch and the visually impaired user:. In: Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems, pp. 5–12. SCITEPRESS - Science and and Technology Publications, Barcelona, Spain (2015). https://doi.org/10.5220/0005370200050012 Britto Neto, L.d.S., Maike, V.R.M.L., Koch, F.L., Baranauskas, M.C.C., Rocha, A.d.R., Goldenstein, S.K.: A wearable face recognition system built into a smartwatch and the visually impaired user:. In: Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems, pp. 5–12. SCITEPRESS - Science and and Technology Publications, Barcelona, Spain (2015). https://​doi.​org/​10.​5220/​0005370200050012​
11.
Zurück zum Zitat Cha, J.M., Choi, E., Lim, J.: Virtual sliding QWERTY: a new text entry method for smartwatches using Tap-N-Drag. Appl. Ergon. 51, 263–272 (2015)CrossRef Cha, J.M., Choi, E., Lim, J.: Virtual sliding QWERTY: a new text entry method for smartwatches using Tap-N-Drag. Appl. Ergon. 51, 263–272 (2015)CrossRef
12.
Zurück zum Zitat Chen, X.A., Grossman, T., Fitzmaurice, G.: Swipeboard: a text entry technique for ultra-small interfaces that supports novice to expert transitions. In: Proceedings of the 27th annual ACM symposium on User interface software and technology, pp. 615–620. ACM Press (2014). https://doi.org/10.1145/2642918.2647354 Chen, X.A., Grossman, T., Fitzmaurice, G.: Swipeboard: a text entry technique for ultra-small interfaces that supports novice to expert transitions. In: Proceedings of the 27th annual ACM symposium on User interface software and technology, pp. 615–620. ACM Press (2014). https://​doi.​org/​10.​1145/​2642918.​2647354
16.
17.
Zurück zum Zitat Frey, B., Southern, C., Romero, M.: BrailleTouch: mobile texting for the visually impaired. In: C. Stephanidis (ed.) Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. Context Diversity, vol. 6767, pp. 19–25. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, Berlin, Heidelberg (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-21666-4_3 Frey, B., Southern, C., Romero, M.: BrailleTouch: mobile texting for the visually impaired. In: C. Stephanidis (ed.) Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. Context Diversity, vol. 6767, pp. 19–25. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, Berlin, Heidelberg (2011). https://​doi.​org/​10.​1007/​978-3-642-21666-4_​3
18.
Zurück zum Zitat Gaggi, O., Palazzi, C.E., Ciman, M., Bujari, A.: StepByWatch: a smartwatch-based enhanced navigation system for visually impaired users. In: 2018 15th IEEE Annual Consumer Communications & Networking Conference (CCNC), pp. 1–5. IEEE, Las Vegas, NV (2018). https://doi.org/10.1109/CCNC.2018.8319311 Gaggi, O., Palazzi, C.E., Ciman, M., Bujari, A.: StepByWatch: a smartwatch-based enhanced navigation system for visually impaired users. In: 2018 15th IEEE Annual Consumer Communications & Networking Conference (CCNC), pp. 1–5. IEEE, Las Vegas, NV (2018). https://​doi.​org/​10.​1109/​CCNC.​2018.​8319311
20.
Zurück zum Zitat Guerreiro, T., LagoÁ, P., Nicolau, H., Gonçalves, D., Jorge, J.A.: From tapping to touching: making touch screens accessible to blind users. IEEE MultiMedia 15(4), 48–50 (2008)CrossRef Guerreiro, T., LagoÁ, P., Nicolau, H., Gonçalves, D., Jorge, J.A.: From tapping to touching: making touch screens accessible to blind users. IEEE MultiMedia 15(4), 48–50 (2008)CrossRef
25.
Zurück zum Zitat Kane, S.K., Wobbrock, J.O., Ladner, R.E.: Usable gestures for blind people: understanding preference and performance. In: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI ’11, pp. 413–422. ACM, New York, NY, USA (2011). https://doi.org/10.1145/1978942.1979001. 00206 Kane, S.K., Wobbrock, J.O., Ladner, R.E.: Usable gestures for blind people: understanding preference and performance. In: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI ’11, pp. 413–422. ACM, New York, NY, USA (2011). https://​doi.​org/​10.​1145/​1978942.​1979001. 00206
31.
Zurück zum Zitat Luna, M..M., Soares, F..A..A..M..N., Nascimento, H..A..D., Siqueira, J., Souza, E..F., Nascimento, T..H., Costa, R..M.: Text entry on smartwatches: a systematic review of literature. 2018 IEEE 42nd Annual Computer Software and Applications Conference (COMPSAC) 02, 272–277 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1109/COMPSAC.2018.10242 Luna, M..M., Soares, F..A..A..M..N., Nascimento, H..A..D., Siqueira, J., Souza, E..F., Nascimento, T..H., Costa, R..M.: Text entry on smartwatches: a systematic review of literature. 2018 IEEE 42nd Annual Computer Software and Applications Conference (COMPSAC) 02, 272–277 (2018). https://​doi.​org/​10.​1109/​COMPSAC.​2018.​10242
33.
Zurück zum Zitat MacKenzie, I.S., Tanaka-Ishii, K.: Text Entry Systems: Mobility, Accessibility. Universality. Morgan Kaufmann, Burlington (2010) MacKenzie, I.S., Tanaka-Ishii, K.: Text Entry Systems: Mobility, Accessibility. Universality. Morgan Kaufmann, Burlington (2010)
35.
Zurück zum Zitat Mattheiss, E., Regal, G., Schrammel, J., Garschall, M., Tscheligi, M.: Dots and letters: Accessible braille-based text input for visually impaired people on mobile touchscreen devices. In: K. Miesenberger, D. Fels, D. Archambault, P. Penaz, W. Zagler (eds.) Computers Helping People with Special Needs, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 8547, pp. 650–657. Springer International Publishing (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08596-8_100 Mattheiss, E., Regal, G., Schrammel, J., Garschall, M., Tscheligi, M.: Dots and letters: Accessible braille-based text input for visually impaired people on mobile touchscreen devices. In: K. Miesenberger, D. Fels, D. Archambault, P. Penaz, W. Zagler (eds.) Computers Helping People with Special Needs, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 8547, pp. 650–657. Springer International Publishing (2014). https://​doi.​org/​10.​1007/​978-3-319-08596-8_​100
36.
Zurück zum Zitat Montague, K., Guerreiro, T.: Towards inviscid text-entry for blind people through non-visual word prediction interfaces. In: CHI Workshop on Inviscid Text-Entry and Beyond, p. 5 (2016) Montague, K., Guerreiro, T.: Towards inviscid text-entry for blind people through non-visual word prediction interfaces. In: CHI Workshop on Inviscid Text-Entry and Beyond, p. 5 (2016)
41.
Zurück zum Zitat Oliveira, J., Guerreiro, T., Nicolau, H., Jorge, J., GonÇalves, D.: Brailletype: Unleashing braille over touch screen mobile phones. In: Proceedings of the 13th IFIP TC 13 International Conference on Human-computer Interaction - Volume Part I, INTERACT’11, pp. 100–107. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg (2011). http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2042053.2042066 Oliveira, J., Guerreiro, T., Nicolau, H., Jorge, J., GonÇalves, D.: Brailletype: Unleashing braille over touch screen mobile phones. In: Proceedings of the 13th IFIP TC 13 International Conference on Human-computer Interaction - Volume Part I, INTERACT’11, pp. 100–107. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg (2011). http://​dl.​acm.​org/​citation.​cfm?​id=​2042053.​2042066
46.
Zurück zum Zitat Poirier, F., Belatar, M.: UniWatch: a soft keyboard for text entry on smartWatches using 3 keys. In: Kurosu, M. (ed.) Human-Computer Interaction. Interaction Platforms and Techniques, vol. 9732, pp. 341–349. Springer International Publishing, Cham (2016)CrossRef Poirier, F., Belatar, M.: UniWatch: a soft keyboard for text entry on smartWatches using 3 keys. In: Kurosu, M. (ed.) Human-Computer Interaction. Interaction Platforms and Techniques, vol. 9732, pp. 341–349. Springer International Publishing, Cham (2016)CrossRef
48.
Zurück zum Zitat Šepić, B., Ghanem, A., Vogel, S.: BrailleEasy: One-handed Braille Keyboard for Smartphones. Stud. Health Technol. Inform. 217, 1030–1035 (2015) Šepić, B., Ghanem, A., Vogel, S.: BrailleEasy: One-handed Braille Keyboard for Smartphones. Stud. Health Technol. Inform. 217, 1030–1035 (2015)
55.
Zurück zum Zitat Southern, C., Clawson, J., Frey, B., Abowd, G., Romero, M.: An evaluation of brailletouch: mobile touchscreen text entry for the visually impaired. In: Proceedings of the 14th international conference on Human-computer interaction with mobile devices and services, pp. 317–326. ACM (2012) Southern, C., Clawson, J., Frey, B., Abowd, G., Romero, M.: An evaluation of brailletouch: mobile touchscreen text entry for the visually impaired. In: Proceedings of the 14th international conference on Human-computer interaction with mobile devices and services, pp. 317–326. ACM (2012)
56.
Zurück zum Zitat Subash, N.S., Nambiar, S., Kumar, V.: BrailleKey: An alternative Braille text inputs system: Comparative study of an innovative simplified text input system for the visually impaired. In: 2012 4th International Conference on Intelligent Human Computer Interaction (IHCI), pp. 1–4 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1109/IHCI.2012.6481790 Subash, N.S., Nambiar, S., Kumar, V.: BrailleKey: An alternative Braille text inputs system: Comparative study of an innovative simplified text input system for the visually impaired. In: 2012 4th International Conference on Intelligent Human Computer Interaction (IHCI), pp. 1–4 (2012). https://​doi.​org/​10.​1109/​IHCI.​2012.​6481790
63.
Zurück zum Zitat Visuri, A., Sarsenbayeva, Z., van Berkel, N., Goncalves, J., Rawassizadeh, R., Kostakos, V., Ferreira, D.: Quantifying sources and types of smartwatch usage sessions. In: Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI ’17, pp. 3569–3581. ACM, New York, NY, USA (2017). https://doi.org/10.1145/3025453.3025817 Visuri, A., Sarsenbayeva, Z., van Berkel, N., Goncalves, J., Rawassizadeh, R., Kostakos, V., Ferreira, D.: Quantifying sources and types of smartwatch usage sessions. In: Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI ’17, pp. 3569–3581. ACM, New York, NY, USA (2017). https://​doi.​org/​10.​1145/​3025453.​3025817
Metadaten
Titel
Text entry for the Blind on Smartwatches
A study of Braille code input methods for a novel device
verfasst von
Mateus M. Luna
Hugo A. D. Nascimento
Aaron Quigley
Fabrizzio Soares
Publikationsdatum
17.02.2022
Verlag
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Erschienen in
Universal Access in the Information Society / Ausgabe 3/2023
Print ISSN: 1615-5289
Elektronische ISSN: 1615-5297
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-022-00870-2

Weitere Artikel der Ausgabe 3/2023

Universal Access in the Information Society 3/2023 Zur Ausgabe

Premium Partner