Colloquium Details
Faculty Search Colloquium: EdgeWrite: A Versatile Design for Text Entry and Control
| Author: | Jacob O. Wobbrock Carnegie Mellon University |
|---|---|
| Date: | March 24, 2006 |
| Time: | 9:00 - Special Time |
| Location: | 220 Deschutes |
Abstract
Handheld devices, such as PDAs and mobile phones, are quickly becoming pervasive, but little attention has been paid to making them more accessible. In particular, text entry can be difficult for people with tremor, poor coordination, little endurance, and low strength, as stylus keyboards and freeform stroke alphabets require significant fine motor control. Able-bodied users also face similar difficulties when using mobile devices "on the go" due to vibration, visual distraction, and the need for one-handed use. To overcome these challenges, I invented EdgeWrite, a more accessible PDA input method that uses physical edges and a highly guessable user-designed alphabet. EdgeWrite was created through user-centered design and numerous formal evaluations. Besides full text entry, EdgeWrite includes features such as progressive recognition feedback, non-recognition retry, slip detection, rapid cursor control, and word-level stroking. Because EdgeWrite requires only four binary sensors, it adapts easily to a variety of devices, including trackballs, touchpads, game controllers, isometric joysticks, power wheelchair joysticks, wrist watches, four keys, steering wheels, and capacitive keypads, making it possible for users to "learn once, write anywhere." Such versatile multi-device input may be increasingly important as new devices emerge and everyday artifacts are augmented with computers. Visit www.edgewrite.com and www.edgewrite.com/dev.html for more details.
Biography
Jacob O. Wobbrock is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. He works with Professor Brad A. Myers. Jacob's research interests include input and interaction techniques, human performance, algorithms for input analysis, assistive technology, situational impairments, and mobile computing. Jacob created EdgeWrite, one of the first attempts at improving the accessibility of handheld devices. In 2005, he won $20,000 for the 1st place NISH National Scholar Award for Workplace Innovation and Design. He also was a National Science Foundation IGERT Fellow in 2004. He won Best Paper at ACM CHI 2006 and ACM ASSETS 2004. Prior to coming to Carnegie Mellon in 2001, Jacob earned a Masters degree in Computer Science and a Bachelors degree in Symbolic Systems at Stanford University. He has held industry positions at Google, DoDots, Microsoft, and the Intel-Mattel Smart Toy Lab. Besides Human-Computer Interaction, Jacob enjoys basketball, golf, swimming, hiking, and pestering literary agents to represent his first science fiction novel. Jacob is on the web at www.cs.cmu.edu/~jrock.