QWERTY, QuickType ja Swype virtuaalinäppäimistöjen kokeellinen vertailu taulutietokoneen tekstinsyöttömenetelminä

Taulutietokoneet ovat suhteellisen uusia laitteita, joiden tekstinsyöttöä ei ole tutkittu vielä kovin paljon. Kosketusnäytöllä esitettävät virtuaalinäppäimistöt ovat yleinen tapa syöttää tekstiä taulutietokoneilla. Tässä tutkimuksessa verrataan QWERTY, QuickType ja Swype virtuaalinäppäimistöjä Applen iPadillä sekä kädessä että pöydällä kirjoitettaessa. Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli selvittää, mikä näistä kolmesta näppäimistöstä on nopein ja vähiten virheitä aiheuttava. Tutkimukseen osallistui 13 aloittelijatason osallistujaa. Testilauseiden kirjoitus ja tulosten laskenta suoritettiin tätä tutkimusta varten kehitetyllä internet-sivulla. Jokainen osallistuja kirjoitti jokaisella näppäimistöllä 20 testilausetta, joista puolet kirjoitettiin niin, että laite oli pöydällä ja toinen puoli niin, että laitetta pidettiin käsissä. Tuloksista kävi ilmi, että aloittelevat käyttäjät kirjoittivat nopeimmin ja virheettömimmin QWERTY-näppäimistöllä. Osallistujat kuitenkin kokivat vaihtoehtoiset tekstinsyöttötavat tehokkaimmiksi. Pöydällä kirjoittaminen oli merkitsevästi nopeampaa ainoastaan QWERTY-näppäimistöllä

Wrist and Forearm Posture From Typing on Split and Vertically Inclined Computer Keyboards

A study was conducted on 90 experienced office workers to determine how commercially available alternative computer keyboards affected wrist and forearm posture. The alternative keyboards tested had the QWERTY layout of keys and were of three designs: split fixed angle, split adjustable angle, and vertically inclined (tilted or tented). When set up correctly, commercially available split keyboards reduced mean ulnar deviation of the right and left wrists from 12° to within 5° of a neutral position compared with a conventional keyboard. The finding that split keyboards place the wrist closer to a neutral posture in the radial/ulnar plane substantially reduces one occupational risk factor of workrelated musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs): ulnar deviation of the wrist. Applications of this research include commercially available computer keyboard designs that typists can use and ergonomists can recommend to their clients in order to minimize wrist ulnar deviation from typing

Development of an Ergonomic Desk and Support for Optimal Keyboard Angle in the Sitting and Standing Workstation

With the proliferation of computers in homes and workplaces, the keyboard has become an integral part of our daily lives, and it is difficult to imagine using a computer without one. Given the high prevalence of WMSDs among computer users and the growing global computer workforce, concerns exist about the escalation of computer related injury with Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) being one of the most reported WMSDs among office workers. The forceful and repetitive movements of the hand and wrist, prolonged use of the hand and wrist and a non-neutral or awkward wrist posture (where there is a migration from a neutral flexion/extension position) are some of the causes of CTS among office workers. If these known risks are not addressed appropriately, this injury will inhibit a person’s ability to perform work effectively. The purpose of this study is to determine the optimal range of keyboard angles for sitting and standing positions based on wrist posture, forearm muscle activities and user preference. Keyboard location in relation to user position and distance will be identified for both sitting and standing postures. 30 volunteers with an above 40wpm typing speed participated in this study with wrist posture, muscle activity, typing performance, distance to place keyboard and user preference as dependent variables were measured. A 2-way ANOVA for repeated measure was performed using the SPSS software for analyzing the results of the dependent variables. Results show that, although user prefer to use positive keyboard angle, the negatively tilted keyboard is more ergonomically friendly at both sitting and standing workstations as compared to the standard keyboard angle, reducing muscle activity and awkward wrist posture while maintaining performance. Findings from this study should provide a useful framework for ergonomics practice and policy evaluation, and we expect that an office workstation can be improved for workers to reduce their risk of developing WMSDs, specifically CTS, with an ergonomic desk for sitting and standing workstations, including a universally adjustable support attached to the desk for sitting and standing workstation

A study of carpal tunnel syndrome and computer vision syndrome among regular computer users and effect of yogic exercises in them.

Computer use is increasingly common among working populations. Currently it is estimated that, about 75% of working activities of all jobs involve computer use. On one hand these computers have made lives so much easy but on the other hand have created many human health related problems. This negative risks associated with the usage of these computers are increasing with their growing demand day by day.Several studies suggested that long term computer users are at increased risk for carpal tunnel syndrome(CTS) and other work related musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremities. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is the syndrome which occurs due to compression of median nerve within the carpal tunnel. Hence, it is very important to diagnose this condition at an early stage and we can treat as early as possible and also restore the normal use of hands and wrist. In the beginning, studies were mainly focused on radiation hazards but gradually ophthalmic complaints due to video display terminals(VDT) exposure became the main focus and the term computer vision syndrome(CVS) was born. Prolonged computer usage without taking a break leads to eyestrain. Traditionally these computer related health disorders have been treated with wrist splint, application of anti-inflammatory agents, steroid injection therapy, application of artificial tears, avoidance of occupational duties and surgery. Yoga and relaxation technique have been used to reduce the musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) and computer related ophthalmic symptoms Extensive and prolonged computer use has given rise to computer related health disorders. Carpal tunnel syndrome and computer vision syndrome are the common problems among them. Yogic exercises help to reduce these problems. The improvement in CTS and CVS was statistically significant. This indicates poor work station design, improper posture, working in a computer for a longer duration without taking break accelerates the symptoms and these can be corrected or reduced by regular yogic exercises and special attention should be given to these regular computer users.To conclude, regular computer users with CTS and CVS can be advised yogic exercises for improvement of computer related health problems

The Development of a Computer Operator Risk Index to Assist Computer Operators

Computer workstation ergonomics is well into its third decade of computer related injuries and disease. Numerous studies have been completed to inform the scientific and private communities of the threats that are posed when working at a computer. There are also multiple variables involved with attaining a computer related injury or disease, and any one of those variables, or a combination of those variables, may put a computer operator at risk. The purpose of this study was to develop a computer operator risk index (CORI), based on previous literature and containing risk variables approved by an expert panel, which is designed for relatively simple calculations. The four main risk variables were time, posture, stress, and environment. This study used 100 participants (58 females and 42 males), with a mean age of 45.8 years from an age range of 20 to 64 years, who had worked at a computer for at least 1 year and worked at least three hours per day at the computer. Not only were females and males incorporated into this study, but four ethnic backgrounds as well. Participants were asked to complete a demographic survey developed for this study, as well as a combined pain/discomfort rating chart adapted from Corlett and Bishops (1976) body chart and Borg’s (1970) CR-10 pain rating scale, a self-evaluating stress test, adapted from Yang’ (2003) self-evaluation stress test, and a Likert-type survey, which was part of the CORI form, concerning the computer operator’s work environment. The remaining sections of the CORI form were completed from observations of an expert analyst. Information contained in the demographic survey and the pain/discomfort chart was used to verify previous research that stated gender was considered a risk factor in computer operators for related illnesses or injuries. In this study Chi-Square tests showed no association (X2 = 0.036,p=0.85) in gender to show this to be true. Data from the pain/discomfort chart was combined with data taken from the CORI form and found to show a significant difference with all four major risk variables. Time, posture, stress, and environmental measures at α=.05 , showed correlation (ρ\u3c.05) with the pain measures. Furthermore, the demographic survey contained data stating that some participants had been previously medically diagnosed with a computer related injury or disease and those participants, using Chi-Square testing, were compared to the results produced from the CORI equation and found to have a significant difference and high correlation (X2 = 6.683, p = .01) . From the data retrieved and calculated in this study a logistic regression model was developed that provided the expert analyst with a means with which to measure risk to computer operators. This model included the four independent variables: time, posture, stress, and environment, which are also the four main sections of the CORI form. The CORI form is recommended for initial risk screening, but is not meant to be solely dependent upon in determining the risk of a computer operator... There are several parts of this study that in themselves may be useful. The Pain/Discomfort Rating Scale may be used to discern between severity levels of pain for computer operators, the Self-Evaluation Stress test may be used to test stress levels of computer operators, and the Computer Operator Survey may be used to collect pertinent demographic information for employers

Effects of a Multitouch Keyboard on Wrist Posture, Typing Performance and Comfort

Alan Hedge Geri GayThe design of computer keyboards is rapidly evolving as portable computing becomes increasingly ubiquitous due to wireless networking and the increased popularity of personal digital assistants and notebook computers. However, there is a balance between mobility and productivity, in terms of text-entry accuracy and speed, which needs to be maintained as computer keyboards become smaller and slimmer through the introduction of ultra low-profile designs. In addition, the ergonomic benefits, in terms of the reduction of awkward wrist postures and user comfort, of ultra-low profile designs are unclear. This study tests a new prototype ultra-low profile MultiTouch keyless keyboard (MTK) that uses a MultiTouch surface to create an extremely thin typing environment that requires no force to register a keystroke and allows mousing and gestural input on the same surface. In this study, the MTK was tested against a conventional keyboard (CK) for typing speed, accuracy, wrist postures and user comfort. It was hypothesized that the lack of key travel would increase speed and accuracy, while the ultra-thin design would reduce the amount of wrist extension, which could decrease the risk of a wrist injury or other hand and wrist musculoskeletal disorder. Finally, it was hypothesized that there would be a significant short-term learning effect on typing speed and accuracy for the MTK. A laboratory experiment was conducted with 6 males and 6 females typing using two QWERTY keyboard designs: a CK and a MTK. Subjects visited the lab for 1.5 hours for 2 non-consecutive days in the same week, for a total of 3 hours. Each visit consisted of eight randomly assigned 7.5-minute typing tasks of text passages of similar difficulty and identical length. Quantitative measures of typing speed and accuracy were collected using Typing Quick and Easy 13.0 and qualitative measures of user preference and comfort were gathered by self-report questionnaires. A wrist glove electrogoniometer system was used to record right-hand wrist positioning data, which was analyzed to assess the risk of injury. The two keyboards were evaluated in a repeated measures within-subjects factorial design. Subjects, typed slower (F1,11 = 41.86, p=0.000) and less accurately (F1,11 = 23.55, p=0.001) on the MTK during the typing tasks. Subjects preferred the CK and reported a higher level of ease (F1,11 = 49.732, p=0.00) and enjoyment (F1,11 = 51.129, p=0.00) during its use. Mean wrist extension was lower for the MTK (F1,11= 10.205, p=0.000) while radial and ulnar deviation did not differ significantly between the two keyboards. The MTK had a lower percentage of highest-risk wrist extension (F1,11= 6.437, p=0.028), and conversely, a higher percentage of neutral wrist posture (F1,11= 12.947, p=0.004). A significant positive linear trend was observed across the within-subjects scores for speed (F1,11= 9.308, p=0.011) and accuracy (F1,11= 11.903, p=0.005) across tasks in the MTK condition. Limitations to this study include practice effects, due to the naive subjects' lack of training on the MTK and the limited duration of exposure to this novel keyboard. Fatigue effects may have also been a factor, even though the experimental conditions were spread out over two non-consecutive days in the same week. Future research directions include additional testing of the unique mousing and gestural capabilities of the MTK. Other research suggests that practice and extended exposure to the MTK may raise performance to comparable levels associated with CK devices.College of Human Ecology, Cornell Universit

WRIST BIOMECHANICS AND ULTRASONOGRAPHIC MEASURES OF THE MEDIAN NERVE DURING COMPUTER KEYBOARDING

Keyboarding is a highly repetitive daily task and has been linked to musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremity. However, the effect of keyboarding on median nerve injuries is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to determine whether continuous keyboarding can cause acute changes in the median nerve and whether these changes are correlated with wrist biomechanics during keyboarding. Ultrasound images of the median nerve from forty healthy volunteers were captured at the levels of the pisiform and distal radius prior to and following a prolonged keyboarding task (i.e., one hour of continuous keyboarding). Images were analyzed by a blinded investigator to quantify the median nerve characteristics. Changes in the median nerve ultrasonographic measures as a result of continuous keyboarding task were evaluated and compared to the hand and wrist biomechanical variables, which were collected simultaneously. Cross-sectional areas at the pisiform level were significantly larger in both dominant and non-dominant hands following the keyboarding task. Swelling ratio was also significantly greater in both hands after 30 and 60 minutes of keyboarding when compared to the baseline measures. Both cross-sectional area and swelling ratio, however, decreased after 30 minutes of manual rest. These acute changes were positively correlated to biomechanical variables of wrist, including wrist flexion and tendon travel. We were able to detect acute changes in the median nerve ultrasound characteristics following one hour of computer keyboarding. These changes were significantly correlated to the wrist biomechanics. The findings suggest that keyboarding has an impact on the median nerve. Further studies are required to understand this relationship, which would provide insight into the pathophysiology of median neuropathies such as carpal tunnel syndrome

Gestures in Machine Interaction

Vnencumbered-gesture-interaction (VGI) describes the use of unrestricted gestures in machine interaction. The development of such technology will enable users to interact with machines and virtual environments by performing actions like grasping, pinching or waving without the need of peripherals. Advances in image-processing and pattern recognition make such interaction viable and in some applications more practical than current modes of keyboard, mouse and touch-screen interaction provide. VGI is emerging as a popular topic amongst Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer-vision and gesture research; and is developing into a topic with potential to significantly impact the future of computer-interaction, robot-control and gaming. This thesis investigates whether an ergonomic model of VGI can be developed and implemented on consumer devices by considering some of the barriers currently preventing such a model of VGI from being widely adopted. This research aims to address the development of freehand gesture interfaces and accompanying syntax. Without the detailed consideration of the evolution of this field the development of un-ergonomic, inefficient interfaces capable of placing undue strain on interface users becomes more likely. In the course of this thesis some novel design and methodological assertions are made. The Gesture in Machine Interaction (GiMI) syntax model and the Gesture-Face Layer (GFL), developed in the course of this research, have been designed to facilitate ergonomic gesture interaction. The GiMI is an interface syntax model designed to enable cursor control, browser navigation commands and steering control for remote robots or vehicles. Through applying state-of-the-art image processing that facilitates three-dimensional (3D) recognition of human action, this research investigates how interface syntax can incorporate the broadest range of human actions. By advancing our understanding of ergonomic gesture syntax, this research aims to assist future developers evaluate the efficiency of gesture interfaces, lexicons and syntax