Bezel-based text entry
Validation level: 5. CHI, UIST, CSCW and TOCHI paper publication
Touchscreen phones allow for direct manipulation, but require constant visual attention, thus making eyes-free interaction difficult. Bezel-based text entry allows eyes-free interaction: users can interact with the bezel to evaluate the learning and performance of bezel marks while entering text. The results show that after an hour of practice, the participants transitioned from novice to expert users.
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Storyboard of Functions
Bezel refers to the physical touch-sensitive frame surrounding a touchscreen display. Bezel menus are built on the periphery of the touch screen (1a) without occluding the screen space. The initiation of a bezel gesture starts from outside of the screen (1b).
Position of the letters among the screen: for letters "a" to "l", there are four letters assigned to each bezel such that the first letter of the bezel is a vowel, which could help the user to remember the layout.
The goal is not to design the best layout, but one that can show the performance of a bezel-based system for a realistic task requiring visual attention.