Design the keyboard on the screen

Mobile phones are touching the screen, the keyboard on the phone is also inevitable to become a virtual keyboard. What are the problems with designing a virtual keyboard on the screen?

Problem One: Wood has a touch.

Without the touch, it is a step backwards for human-computer interaction. People to the operation of the device has lost a characteristic, the value of the touch, there is no need to say more.

Touch-screen Input method to achieve the "press the key to surface after the amplification" function, but this can not completely solve the problem of no touch, the user is not always pressed after, look, and then loosened. Because it's too inefficient. People are more likely to believe that their actions are right, that they have made mistakes and then modified them. So even if there is an enlarged current key, it is not always someone to see.

Loss of touch is a big regret for moving touch-screen devices, perhaps this is an imperfect phase in the development of technology. Of course, we also do not have to feel the disappearance of too much regret, technological progress, will certainly be towards remedying these deficiencies in the direction of development. It may not be long before the screen can be raised with buttons.

Question two: Compared with 26-key input method, the 9-key input method reduces the switch between the interface

"is the choice of 9-key input method, or select the 26-key input method?" Physical keyboard era, you can only choose one time, buy a mobile phone. Now turn into a touch screen virtual keyboard, 9 or 26 keys at any time you choose. The comparison of the two also makes sense.

Input needs include: Chinese characters, English, numerals, various symbols. User to complete a paragraph of input, often not only write Chinese characters, or write only numbers. Usually there are Chinese characters, there are numbers, but also some punctuation, and perhaps occasionally to drag an English. So you have to switch between multiple interfaces.

9-Key Input method is actually using 8 keys to achieve Chinese pinyin, the rest of the space on the screen in addition to switching to English, symbols, numbers of these toggle keys, and available, you can put some common symbols out, so that users do not have to switch to the "symbol" interface can directly point to "period", reduce the interface between the switch, Increase the efficiency.

26-Key Input method, can put all the 26 letters are not easy to put down, naturally do not have the spare energy to display common symbols.

9-Key Chinese Pinyin input interface added some symbols, this interface can no longer be called the 9-key Chinese pinyin, bad definition of the name, swollen mody do? It would be better to think of the individual's more appropriate name. It is not possible to add common symbols because the content logic is not perfect. Good design concept: To enable users to accomplish tasks more efficiently, rather than simply emphasizing the accuracy of content logic. Compared to the 26-key input method, the 9-key input method has this condition to better care for the user's input task. It is worth affirming that most of the third party 9-key input method is also done.

IOS4 native strokes Input method, using 5 keys to enter Chinese strokes, but did not use the possibility of the gap to plug several commonly used symbols, the original may help the user less than a few times the switch between the interface, but did not do.

After analyzing these, I remembered to take a look at the IOS5 stroke Input Method:

When the idea of the other designers with the same moment, "I arrived ~"

The frequency of switching between the interfaces is not the only indicator of the quality of the input method, so here is not to say that the 9-key input method is better than the 26 key.

Input method is a product oriented to the proficient, the user after a period of time to learn to better grasp. You will find it difficult to do some other input. So, whether with 26 keys, or with 9 keys, or with handwritten, often feel that their current use of the input method is the best use.

Question three: the content of the keyboard changes due to need

In the physical keyboard, a key is labeled with more than numbers, symbols, and perhaps strokes. Because, you need this button to play different characters in different states.

Touch screen of the virtual keyboard is needed to appear in the original, the same reason, it should be what kind of keyboard will appear what kind of keyboard.