Floating Soft Keyboard with Dynamic Positioning for Typing Accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users of touch-screen devices face difficulties in accurately typing on soft keyboards due to the small size of keys, which can lead to incorrect inputs, especially when fingers occupy space for multiple keys.
Innovation Solution
A touch-screen device and method that displays a soft keyboard with larger keys, allowing the keyboard to float and move in the opposite direction of the user's finger movement, enabling access to all keys by sliding the keyboard and using pinch gestures for zooming, and recognizing specific touch events for key selection and accentuated characters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the keyboard is displayed entirely within the screen area, then the keyboard fits within the screen real estate, but the user experiences difficulties in accurately typing keys that are not readily seen
Solution Approach 1:
The keyboard is made dynamically movable in response to touch input. When the user touches and drags their finger across the screen, the keyboard automatically shifts position to bring the target key into view. This dynamic adjustment allows the entire keyboard to remain accessible while maintaining high typing accuracy, as keys move into the visible area as needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary mechanism where the keyboard itself acts as a movable reference frame. Instead of requiring the user to search for keys in a static layout, the keyboard moves in response to touch gestures, serving as an intermediary that adapts the interface to the user's intended action.
2Measurement precision
If the keyboard keys are made larger to improve typing accuracy, then the typing accuracy improves, but the keyboard occupies more screen space
Solution Approach 1:
The keyboard maintains large, easily targetable key sizes while occupying minimal static screen space through dynamic positioning. As the user drags their finger across the screen, the keyboard moves to keep relevant keys in view, allowing large keys to be displayed only when needed rather than permanently occupying extensive screen real estate.
3Area of stationary object
If only a portion of the keyboard is displayed to save screen space, then the screen real estate is conserved, but the user cannot access keys that are not visible
Solution Approach 1:
The keyboard transitions from a static partial display to a dynamic full-access interface. When the user touches and drags their finger across the screen, the keyboard moves to bring hidden keys into the visible area, ensuring all keys remain accessible while minimizing the static footprint on the screen.
Data Source
AI summary
Operating a touch-screen device includes displaying at least a portion of a keyboard on a touch-screen, detecting a touch on the touch-screen, and detecting movement of the touch on the touch-screen. Operating the touch-screen device also includes moving the displayed keyboard in response to the detected movement of the touch on the touch-screen, detecting a release of the touch from the touch-screen, and assigning a character according to a final location of the touch relative to a location of the displayed keyboard.