Shake 'n' Tap: a gesture enhanced keyboard for older adults

The need for text entry on smartphones and other touch-screen devices is key for many tasks and also a key factor in the usability of these devices. Physical and cognitive issues associated with age can aggravate the task of text entry for older adults. Technological exclusion due to low usability can present a significant problem both for social and ongoing business-related tasks with older adults. This paper investigates a new touch-screen keyboard design for older adults that combines the familiar QWERTY keyboard layout with physical gesture. User studies with older adults showed our keyboard reduced miss-taps, but was slower to use, and raised issues for further research.