Robust Text Input for Smartwatches: Compensating for Imprecise Tapping and Swiping

Entering text on a smartwatch is challenging due to the difficulty of tapping tiny keys. This study introduces a novel keyboard, Tap’nSwipe, to address the challenge. The keyboard features nine areas, each containing up to four characters. To enter a character, users swipe in a specific direction within the area containing the character, freeing them from precisely tapping on the target key. In addition, Tap’nSwipe leverages word predictions to enter words by allowing users to tap anywhere in the areas containing the target characters. The results of a user experiment show that Tap’nSwipe improves text entry accuracy and reduces error correction efforts when entering random character strings on a small smartwatch screen, with a marginal decrease in tying speed compared to QWERTY. Participants rated Tap’nSwipe higher than QWERTY in perceived character clarity, interaction precision, typing accuracy, typing efficiency, and ease of use. Participants also expressed strong interest in adopting Tap’nSwipe.