Virtual Keyboard Placeholder Text Entry Small Display
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Solution Overview
Problem
Text-entry devices with small displays face challenges in efficiently managing virtual keyboard space and text input feedback, often requiring compromises that hinder user experience due to limited screen real estate.
Innovation Solution
A text-entry device that presents a virtual keyboard occupying nearly all display space, using placeholders for input feedback and a separate text editor for editing recognized text, allowing users to toggle between input and editing modes without compromising display real estate, and leveraging on-board or off-board word-level recognition for candidate text suggestions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a virtual keyboard is displayed simultaneously with a text editor on a small display, then text input and editing can be performed, but the display space is insufficient and user experience is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The interface is segmented into distinct modes: keyboard input mode and text editor mode. These modes are separated in time rather than space, allowing each to occupy the full display area when active. The system divides the user experience into sequential phases (input phase and editing phase) rather than attempting to display both simultaneously, resolving the space conflict.
Solution Approach 2:
The interface dynamically transitions between keyboard mode and editor mode based on user interaction. When the user taps the text area, the system dynamically switches from displaying the keyboard to displaying the text editor, and vice versa. This dynamic reconfiguration allows the display to adapt its content based on the current task, maximizing space utilization at each moment.
2Productivity
If a virtual keyboard occupies most display space for input, then input efficiency is improved, but text feedback and editing capability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs periodic switching between keyboard display and text editor display based on user input actions. Each tap on the text area triggers a periodic transition to the editor view, allowing the user to review input periodically. This rhythm of input-then-review cycles ensures that text feedback is provided regularly without compromising input efficiency during keyboard mode.
3Ease of operation
If complete word predictions are displayed during input, then user guidance is improved, but display space for keyboard is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The text editor, which displays complete word predictions and entered text, is extracted from the keyboard view. Instead of overlaying or integrating the text display with the keyboard, the system separates them into distinct modes. The predictions and text feedback are taken out and displayed in full during editor mode, while the keyboard enjoys full display space during input mode.
Data Source
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AI summary
Embodiments are disclosed for a method of responding to user input received at a user interface on a computing device. The method includes presenting a virtual keyboard on a display of the computing device, detecting input to the virtual keyboard. The method further includes, for each detected input, determining whether the input selects any of one or more delimiter keys, displaying a placeholder for the input responsive to the input not selecting any of the one or more delimiter keys, and receiving suggested candidate text from a word-level recognizer and replacing all currently displayed placeholders with the suggested candidate text responsive to the input selecting any of the one or more delimiter keys.