KALQ layout


Texting got a lot easier! Researchers have developed a new keyboard for touch-screen phones that gives super-fast thumb-typing, that enables users to type 34 percent faster than a QWERTY keyboard.

The team of researchers is said to hav used computational optimization techniques with a model of thumb movement to filter among millions of layout combinations to identify the one that gives superior performance.

Typing on today's smartphones and tablets seems to be slow. since QWERTY layout is not much suitable for tablets and other touch-screen devices when typing with thumbs, researchers said. Thumb typing is very different from typing on a keyboard.

Researchers said that normal users using a QWERTY layout on a touch-screen device is able to type at a rate of 20 words per minute, which is slow compared to the rate achieved on physical keyboards.

The researchers from the "Max Planck Institute for Informatics" and colleagues from the "University of St Andrews and Montana Tech" initiated the process of developing a layout for two-thumb texting with the goal of improving typing performance and reducing the strain for the thumbs.

"The key to optimising a keyboard for two thumbs is to minimize long sequences with a single thumb," lead researcher Antti Oulasvirta said.
"We also want to place frequently used letters centrally close to each other. Experienced typists move their thumbs simultaneously: While one is typing, the other is approaching its next target. We
derived a predictive model of this behaviour for the optimisation method," said Oulasvirta.

The researchers had two goals: To minimise the movement of thumbs and to approximate alternating sides as well.

The new keyboard layout "KALQ" has all vowels with the exception of letter "y" in the area for the right thumb, whereas more other keys are assigned to left thumb.

With this new KALQ layout improvements, users will be able to type 37 words per minute, which is reported as the best rate for two-thumb typing on touchscreen devices. Researchers said KALQ layout will be made available in play store as a free app for Android-based smartphones at the month of May.