Improving Text Entry Performance for Spanish-Speaking Non-Expert and Impaired Users

In this paper, an efficient method is described which is able to improve the efficiency of typing texts for non-expert and impaired users. Specifically, we propose an innovative keyboard configuration that improves typing performance in languages with transparent orthographies. By adopting a novel orthogonal framework, the configuration of the keyboard is defined as a 2-D regular array of keys. According to this scheme it is possible to input, in a direct and intuitive way, any possible combination of pseudo-syllables (which are text entry units with simpler consonant-vowel phonemic structure), being also possible to introduce single characters in the classical, letter by letter, way. The orthogonal keyboard scheme has been applied and tested with the Spanish language, for it is the most spoken transparent language in the world. The performed tests show a significant improvement of the efficiency in alphanumeric text typing.