`
`InteractiveExperience
`
`~
`%?
`
`Typing With One Hand
`Half-QWERTY:
`Using Your Two-handed Skills
`
`Edgar A4atia3
`The Matias Corporation
`178 Thistledown Boulevard
`Rexdale, Ontario, Canada M9V lK1
`(416) 749-3124
`ematias @dgp.toronto.edu
`
`I. Scott MacKenzie
`Dept. of Computing and Information Science
`University
`of Guelph
`Guelph, Ontario, Canada NIG 2W1
`(519) 824-4120
`mac @snowhite.cis.uoguelph.ca
`
`William Buxton
`of Toronto&
`Xerox PARC
`University
`c/o Computer SystemLsResearch Institute
`University
`of Toronto
`Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A4
`(416) 978-1961
`buxton@dgp.toronto.edu
`
`ABSTRACT
`technique,
`typing
`is a new one-handed
`Half-QWERTY
`typing skill
`designed to facilitate
`the transfer of two-handed
`to the one-handed condition,
`It
`is performed
`on a standard
`keyboard
`(with modified
`software),
`or a special
`half
`keyboard (with full-sized
`keys). Experiments
`have shown
`[2]
`that
`it
`is possible
`for QWERTY
`touch-typists
`to
`achieve
`high one-handed
`typing
`rates (40+ wpm)
`in a
`relatively
`short period
`of
`time (<10 hr) using the Half-
`QWERTY
`technique.
`These speeds are 2-3 times the rates
`achievable
`using
`compact
`keyboards,
`and
`exceed
`Half-QWERTY
`is important
`in
`handwriting
`speeds.
`providing
`access to disabled
`users, and for
`the design of
`compact computers.
`
`tasks,
`input
`devices,
`Input
`KEY WO R D S:
`keyboard, QWERTY,
`performance,
`one-handed
`computers, disabled users, skill
`transfer.
`
`human
`portable
`
`IS IT?
`WHAT
`a new
`demonstrates
`display
`Experience
`This Interactive
`approach to one-handed text entry which exploits the skills
`already developed in two-handed
`typing.
`It is called,
`“Half-
`QWERTY,”
`because it uses only half of
`the QWERTY
`keyboard.
`The technique
`can be used on a standard
`QWERTY
`keyboard (using only half of
`the available keys,
`Figure 1), or with a special half keyboard (Figure 2), The
`former provides wide access to the technique.
`The latter
`provides
`a compact
`keyboard
`with
`full-sized
`keys
`supporting
`touch
`typing
`on portable
`computers,
`for
`example.
`
`is
`this materml
`of
`fee all or part
`to copy without
`Permission
`for
`granted
`pmwded
`that
`the cop!es
`are not made or distributed
`the ACM cvpyr, ght notice
`and the
`d!rect GwnrnerGI@ advantage,
`tttle of
`the publication
`and its date appear,
`and ncmce IS given
`that
`copy!ng
`is by perm{sston
`of
`the Association
`for Computing
`Machinery.
`To copy
`otherwise,
`or
`to republish,
`requires
`a fee
`andlor
`specific
`permission.
`Boston, Massachusetts
`CH194 Companion-4/94
`e 1994 ACM 0-89791-651-4/94/0051
`. ..$3.50
`
`USA
`
`HOW DOES IT WORK?*
`the keys
`of all
`is comprised
`A Half-QWERTY
`keyboard
`used by one hand to type on a standard QWERTY keyboardl,
`with the keys of
`the other hand unused or absent. Keys of
`the typing hand are typed as before.
`To type characters of
`the missing hand,
`the user simply holds down the space bar
`and performs
`the finger movement
`previously
`done by the
`missing hand (Figure
`1). Thus, using the space bar as a
`modifier,
`a typist can generate the characters of either side
`of a fill-sized
`keyboard, using only one hand.
`
`IT BE USED?
`HOW WILL
`tasks
`is especially useful when performing
`Half-QWERTY
`and
`frequent
`switching
`between keyboard
`which require
`editing,
`for example. Text can be entered with
`mouse—text
`one hand, and items
`selected and manipulated
`with the
`other.
`Since both hands are in “home position”
`for
`their
`respective task, no time is lost
`in moving
`between devices
`[1].
`Furthermore,
`by implementing
`Half-QWERTY
`on a
`standard keyboard, one can ea~sily switch between this type
`of
`input and two-handed
`typing.
`Finally,
`since each side clf
`the keyboard is mapped onto the other side when the space
`bar is depressed,
`the user can choose which hand to use fcr
`one-handed typing.
`In effect,
`the user has a choice of three
`keyboards
`in one: a two-handed QWERTY
`keyboard,
`and
`two Half-QWERTY
`keyboards, one for each hand.
`
`than carried, has significant
`rather
`is worn,
`that
`A computer
`advantages for data collection
`“in the field.”
`By eliminating
`infrequently
`used keys (e.g.,
`the number keys) and reducing
`the size of the space bar, a Ha’lf-QWERTY
`keyboard can be
`made small enough to wear on the wrist of
`the dominant
`hand (Figure 2). With an LCD screen worn on the other
`wrist,
`the resulting
`typing posture allows
`the user to type
`and view the display,
`simultaneously.
`
`#
`Application
`International
`pending.
`lPatents
`published March
`21, 1991, under
`PCTICA90100274
`International
`Publication
`# W091/03782.
`
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`InteractiveExi)erience
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`CHI’94-“CelebratingInterdependence”~ ConferenceCompanion
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`“
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`““
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`Shift
`
`I
`
`on a standard QWERTY
`layouts
`Half-QWERTY
`and right-hand
`Left-
`1.
`Figure
`in the upper
`left of
`the key is entered.
`keyboard. When a key is depressed,
`the character
`When preceded by holding down the space bar, the character
`in the lower
`right
`is entered.
`
`Tab
`Oab!e
`
`Shift
`
`/
`
`/
`
`15
`
`IIFn
`
`~
`
`II
`
`is typed on using
`It
`keyboard (actual size).
`right-wrist
`2. Wearable left-hand
`Figure
`the left hand while worn on the right wrist.
`If an LCD is worn on the left wrist,
`the
`resulting typing posture allows the user to type and view the display, simultaneously.
`
`ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
`the Natural
`of
`the support
`We gratefully
`acknowledge
`of Canada,
`Research Council
`Sciences and Engineering
`Digital Equipment Corporation,
`Xerox Palo Alto Research
`Centre
`(PARC),
`Apple
`Computer’s
`Human
`Interface
`Group,
`IBM Canada’s
`Toronto
`Laboratory
`Centre
`for
`Advanced Studies, and the Arnott Design Group of Toronto.
`
`REFERENCES
`A research
`(1968).
`1. Engelbart, D., & English, W. K.
`center for augmenting
`human intellect.
`Proceedings
`of
`(pp. 395-410).
`the Fall
`Joint Computer Conference
`Washington, DC: Thompson Book Co.
`(1993).
`2. Matias, E., MacKenzie,
`I. S., & Buxton, W.
`Half-QWERTY:
`A one-handed
`keyboard
`facilitating
`skill
`transfer
`from QWERTY.
`Proceedings
`of
`the
`INTERCHI
`’93 Conference
`on Human
`Factors
`in
`Computing Systems (pp. 88-94). New York: ACM.
`
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