Typing is still a big problem for touchscreen device. Typing on QWERTY keypad is always a big problem for users. We use fingers to hold the device and thumb for typing. To make the typing easier on touch devices, Max Planck Institute for Informatics has created a new keyboard called KALQ. This new keypad enables faster thumb typing on touchscreen devices. The main behind the development of this keypad is improving typing performance and minimizing the strain for the thumb.
KALQ keypad has a two column layout with 16 keys on the left and 12 keys on the right. All vowels are located on the right side along with G, K, L, Q and J. Other keys are located at the left side.
Normal users can only type around 20 words on touchscreen devices with QWERTY keypad. That is very slow as compared to the typing speed on physical keyboards. Using KALQ kaypad improves typing speed by 34 percent. Users can now type around 37 words per minute.
Antti Oulasvirta says “The key to optimizing a keyboard for two thumbs is to minimize long sequences with a single thumb. We also want to place frequently used letters centrally close to each other. Experienced typists move their thumbs simultaneously: While one is typing, the other is approaching its next target. We derived a predictive model of this behaviour for the optimization method.”
This new keypad will be showcased at the CHI (Human Factors in Computing Systems) 2013 conference to be held in Paris on May 1. If everything goes fine, it will be available for download on Android devices for free in first week of may.
