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Presenter(s)
James E. Schroeder, Ph.D., CHFP
Applied Human Factors, Inc.
P.O. Box 228
Helotes, TX 78023
Phone: 888-243-0098
Fax: 210-408-0097
Email: sales@ahf-net.com
Applied Human Factors, Inc. (AHF) conducts research and develops software in the area of assistive technology. Here, two of AHF's latest assistive software programs are described and relevant research findings are reported. "REACH with Smart Lists™ (Patent Pending) is a program that uses an innovative new approach to typing. REACH Smart Speech™ is an augmentative communication application which allows users to quickly compose/speak hundreds of common speech phrases.
REACH with Smart Lists™. With Smart Lists™, the user starts by typing the first letter(s) on a standard on-screen keyboard but is quickly moved to a set of candidate options presented in list format presented at the site of the last key selected. Smart Lists uses AHF's "Root/Extension Analysis™ (Patent Pending), to determine which candidate letters, sets of letters, or words should be offered in the list. All candidates in the list are presented in the context of the letters already typed. Consider an example in which the word "Your" is being typed. Starting with a standard on-screen keyboard, the user selects "Y." This selection can be made by using a pointing device (head tracker, mouse, joystick, trackball, etc.) or by using switch scanning techniques (in which a user operates a switch to first select the row that contains the "Y" key and then selects the "Y" key when offered - i.e., standard "row/column" scanning). In either case, after the "Y" key is selected, it is typed into the current application (e.g., word processor) and the "Y" key then enlarges to present a vertical list of candidates. From that point on, the user will not use other keys on the keyboard, but rather, will select items from lists of options. If using point-and-click, the user simply clicks on the desired option; if using scanning, the options are offered one at a time from the top of the list downward. One significant benefit of this approach is that users must only use their switch once for each letter or set of letters selected. Hence, after the first key, the amount of work (switch closures) is cut in half when compared to row/column scanning (which requires two switch closures per selection).
At this point, the user has typed the first "Y" and is offered a list of options. In this example, and using a standard AHF dictionary of possible words, the following options are presented: Yo...; Ye...; Ya...; and Yield. If the user were using AHF's Smart Keys™, all of the keys on the keyboard would be removed except for the o, e, a, and i keys, but they would be scattered across the keyboard, requiring the user to visually search for the next letter. Note that the letter(s) already typed are shown to the user in the options. The ellipsis indicates that more letters follow (e.g., words that begin with "Yo"). The entire word "Yield" is presented because it is the only word beginning with "Yi" in the currently loaded dictionary(ies). The options are presented in the order of their probability in order to help persons using scanning; by option, they can be ordered alphabetically instead.
In the present example, the user next selects the "Yo..." option because it is the most consistent with the beginning of the target word "Your." After "Yo..." is selected, the list updates and offers the following options: You; You...; York; Yoke; Yolk; and Yonder. The last four options are words, presented because they are the only words in the current dictionary(ies) that begin with Yor, Yol, and Yon (respectively). The fact that both "You" (the word) and "You..." (words that begin with the letters "Y-o-u") are both offered is a good example of some of the power contained in Root/Extension Analysis. Specifically, if there are words or other multi-letter "extensions" consistent with the current "root" (the letters already typed), which are very high in probability (in this case, the word "you"), they also can be offered in the list. This capability can be adjusted in the settings. In general, persons using scanning who want to maximize speed and don't mind using their switch more frequently should select an option in which more/shorter lists are presented. In contrast, if speed is less important and the user has difficulty operating the switch, then options for longer lists are better.
Completing the example, after selecting the "You..." option, another list is offered: Your; Your...; Young; Young...; You'...; Youth; and Youth..., from which the user selects the target word. The Smart List™ approach attempts to consolidate the different tasks and physical locations associated with traditional typing, to a common task and common location.
For persons using scanning, the optimal strategy is to move to lists after the first letter is typed. For persons using point and click input, the best strategy depends on the preference of the user and whether the user is attempting to minimize work or maximize speed. Users can go to a list immediately or can stay on the keyboard until Smart Lists™ determines that a relatively short list of words remains, at which time the key enlarges and presents the list of words. In addition, if the user stays on the keyboard, options are available to present contextual cues on the key faces. For example, after typing a "c" the "a" key can show both the standard "A" label in the upper left corner of the key's face and the current letter string (i.e. "ca") on the lower section of the key's face.
The increases in typing rate and reductions in work are substantial. The actual benefits vary as a function of the Smart List options selected, the word being typed (e.g., high or low probability word), how long the word is (benefits are greater for longer words), and other variables. When scanning, the number of switch operations required is reduced by more than 50% for all but very short words. Simultaneous increases in typing rate vary from modest (e.g., 16% for 2-letter words) to moderate (e.g., 72% for 5-letter words) to high (e.g., 299% for 12-letter words). These values were determined through the AHF Test Bed, which simulates scanning speed and number of clicks (and which was corroborated by human-subject performance data).
REACH Smart Speech™. (Currently under development) Smart Lists™ not only reduces work and increases typing speed, but also provides a "platform" for other innovative new approaches and products. For example, REACH Smart Speech™ utilizes Smart List™ technology to enhance communication. An initial display has over 70 keys color coded and labeled by categories (e.g., pronouns, nouns, articles, questions, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. When a key is selected, it opens, displaying a list of related options; for example, if the "I" key is selected, the list presented includes: I, me, my, I (Present), I (Past), I (Future), my (Nouns), to me, for me, and I have. If the user selects a "question mark" key in the top left corner before selecting "I," the list changes to: can I (Present), have I (Past), should I (Future), am I (Present), was I (Past), do I (Present), did I (Past), will I (Future), must I (Present), and "is it for me." Hence, each key has 20 sentence components which can be accessed fairly quickly.
If the user picks an option with no parentheses (e.g., "I"), the keyboard returns to its normal state and the word is typed. Using this approach alone, a user can type a large number of sentences fairly quickly. However, if the user selects one of the options containing a parenthetical comment, such as "I (Past)," then the word "I" is typed and another keyboard is loaded containing the most common verbs that follow "I," which are correctly conjugated, in this example, single person, past tense. If the verb sought is not offered, then a standard keyboard is included, and, because of a new feature in REACH™, the only dictionary "associated" with that keyboard contains only verbs appropriate for single person past tense(links also are available to other similar specialized keyboards).
Other AHF Products include REACH Interface Author™; Smart Keys™; Sound-It-Out Phonetic Keyboard™; SoothSayer Word Prediction™; ScanBuddy™; REACH Scan Plus™ (a software bundle that combines REACH™, Smart Keys™, Smart Lists™, and ScanBuddy™); REACH Tablet™ (tablet loaded with AHF software); Mouse&Caret Buddy™; Joystick Buddy™; and AHF Spanish Dictionary. Other AHF products will be demonstrated as time permits - free demonstration copies are on the AHF web site www.ahf-net.com or on a free CD.
1 Research on REACH, Smart Keys, and Smart Lists was supported by a Small Business Innovation Research Grants (#1 R43 HD37713-01
#2 R44 HD28864-02) awarded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. 2 Opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the view of the National Institutes of Health.
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