Device independent text input

Individual characters and text are the main inputs in many computing devices. Currently there is a growing trend in developing small portable devices like mobile phones, personal digital assistants, GPS-navigators, and two-way pagers. Unfortunately these portable computing devices have different user interfaces and therefore the task of text input takes many forms. The user, who in the future is likely to have several of these devices, has to learn several text input methods. We argue that there is a need for a universal text input method. A method like this would work on a wide range of interface technologies and allow the user to transfer his or her writing skill without device-specific training. To show that device independent text input is possible, we present a candidate for a device independent text entry method that supports skill transfer between different devices. A limited longitudinal study was conducted to achieve a proof of concept evaluation of our Minimal Device Independent Text Input Method (MDITIM). We found MDITIM writing skill acquired with a touchpad to work almost equally well on mouse, trackball, joystick and keyboard without any additional training. Our test group reached on average 41% of their handwriting speed by the end of the tenth 30-minute training session.