Investigating Performance and Usage of Input Methods for Soft Keyboard Hotkeys

TL;DR

This paper explores the effectiveness of soft keyboard hotkeys (SoftCuts) on touch devices, demonstrating they support quick command selection across various conditions and device configurations, with walking not impairing performance.

Contribution

It introduces SoftCuts as a generalized command selection mechanism for touch devices and evaluates their performance across different input methods and physical conditions.

Findings

SoftCuts are appreciated by users.

SoftCuts enable rapid command selection.

Walking does not impair SoftCuts performance.

Abstract

Touch-based devices, despite their mainstream availability, do not support a unified and efficient command selection mechanism, available on every platform and application. We advocate that hotkeys, conventionally used as a shortcut mechanism on desktop computers, could be generalized as a command selection mechanism for touch-based devices, even for keyboard-less applications. In this paper, we investigate the performance and usage of soft keyboard shortcuts or hotkeys (abbreviated SoftCuts) through two studies comparing different input methods across sitting, standing and walking conditions. Our results suggest that SoftCuts not only are appreciated by participants but also support rapid command selection with different devices and hand configurations. We also did not find evidence that walking deters their performance when using the Once input method.