Multitouch Keyboard Revisited: Enhancing Moded Interaction Through Redesigning Structure and Switching Techniques

Moded interaction has been well studied and its insights applied to both physical and digital realms. However, it can be observed that many of today's digital applications are not exploiting the full capabilities of moded interaction. Addressing this gap as our research objective, we analyze and model existing multitouch keyboard typing experience from a mode perspective. Such a strategy helps to identify the complex mode hierarchy to be flattened and the missing mode transitions to be added. These changes were reflected in terms of interaction model and user interface design of the proposed system. This was quantitatively evaluated using the number of taps required to type common phrases and sentences. These findings will not only make typing experience more accessible for novices and more efficient for experts but also bring about a better understanding of the greater moded interaction landscape beyond typing.