1 / 26

Using Handhelds to Help People with Motor Impairments

Human Computer Interaction Institute School of Computer Science Carnegie Mellon University. Using Handhelds to Help People with Motor Impairments. Brad A. Myers, Jacob O. Wobbrock, Sunny Yang, Brian Yeung, Jeffrey Nichols , and Robert Miller http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~pebbles/assistive/.

lukas
Download Presentation

Using Handhelds to Help People with Motor Impairments

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Human Computer Interaction Institute School of Computer Science Carnegie Mellon University Using Handhelds toHelp People withMotor Impairments Brad A. Myers, Jacob O. Wobbrock, Sunny Yang, Brian Yeung,Jeffrey Nichols, and Robert Millerhttp://www.cs.cmu.edu/~pebbles/assistive/ Assets’2002

  2. Muscular Dystrophy • About 250,000 people in the United States have Muscular Dystrophy (MD) • One in every 4,000 newborn boys has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy • Use computers for recreation, education, etc. • Often home-bound • increased susceptibility to infections • Internet provides opportunities for at-home employment

  3. Muscular Dystrophy, cont. • People with MD often have fine-motor control but limited coarse-motor control • Tiresome to press keys on keyboard • Difficult to transfer hand between mouse and keyboard • Hard to move mouse precisely • We investigate using Palm handhelds as assistive device for PCs • May be easier to use stylus for both typing and pointing tasks

  4. Pebbles Project • This research is part of the Pebbles project • Overall goal: investigate use of handheldsat the same time as PCs and other computerized devices • “Multi-Machine User Interfaces” • Assumption: handhelds will frequently be in close interactive communication with each other and other computers • Wireless and wired technologies

  5. Original Remote Commander • Allow PDAs to control a PC • Can be used with any application • Perform all mouse andkeyboard functions • Use PDA like touchpad • Graffiti or our own pop-up keyboard • Original motivation: audience in ameeting take turns controllingapplication

  6. History • Drew Rossman saw RemoteCommander on the web • Found it helped his daughterJennifer who has a form ofMuscular Dystrophy known asSpinal Muscular Atrophy, Type II. • Wrote articles and created a webpage to help promote its use • We wanted to improve the software for this use

  7. Methodology • Recruited local (Pittsburgh-area)subjects with MD using thePittsburgh-area MD newsletter • Visited them in their homes • Loaned each one a Palm IIIx (or equivalent IBM Workpad) and installed our software on their computer • Donated by Palm, Inc. and IBM

  8. Methodology, cont. • Initial evaluation • Measured typing and mouse speed with PC-based tests • Directly observed subjects • Follow-up visit later • Repeated typing and mouse tests • Modified Remote Commander based on observations

  9. Observations • Physical Environment • Needed lighter & longer stylus • Donated by Handango • Needed better lighting to see Palm • Cradle not sufficiently stable: needed long cord • Donated by Synergy Solutionshttp://www.slideshowcommander.com

  10. Adaptations to Remote Commander • Made on-screen buttons for left, right mouse buttons and keyboard modifiers • Physical Palm buttons toodifficult to press • Made on-screen buttons toggleso stay on

  11. Adaptations, cont. • Turn off key repeat • So not repeating by accident • Faster Acceleration • Smaller movements on Palm • More flexible tapping • Click mouse button bytapping on mouse pad area • Tap anywhere in Graffiti area gets keyboard • Long time before power-off • Palm power button too hard to press

  12. Adaptations, cont. • Various Keyboard Layouts • Bigger buttons • Not popular – liked having mouse region at top • Alphabetic layout • Most common keys grouped together to minimize travel distance • Not particularly helpful

  13. Observed Problems • Battery life is a real barrier • Need replacement after 3 days • Solution: use rechargeable model • One subject got sore neck from repeatedly switching from looking down at Palm and up at screen • Learned Graffiti for text entry and then didn’t need to look at Palm as much

  14. Problems, cont. • Still often slower than regular keyboard & mouse • Will try word prediction

  15. New! Word Prediction • Predicts word from first letters • Also, predicts next word from previous word • Layout to minimize distance from keys • Most likely choice in center and highlighted • Available with soft keyboard and Graffiti

  16. Observed Advantages • Fatigues less with RemoteCommander than with regular keyboard, so can use PC for longer time • Inexpensive! • Keyboard and mouse in one place • Ability to control PC from across room • Difficulties in moving to computer from desk • Ability to work with regular keyboard & mouse • Computer shared by multiple people

  17. Another Pebbles Application • Shortcutter allows users to create panels of controls for any PC application • Can provide accelerators • E.g. special buttons to make it easier to play a game • Can start applications • Can control X-10 devices (lights, etc.) • One subject created a panel to start his favorite applications

  18. Future work • Evaluation of word prediction • Handhelds to help people with other disabilities/illnesses • ALS, cerebral palsy, some kinds of stroke… • Handhelds as assistive technologies in other areas • Handhelds as interface to other devices • Control room lights, telephone, wheelchair, etc.? • “Personal Universal Controller” • Ideas welcome!

  19. Supported by grants from: DARPA Microsoft Pittsburgh Digital Greenhouse NSF General Motors And equipment grants from: Hewlett Packard Lucent Technologies Palm Computing Symbol Technologies IBM SMART Technologies, Inc. Synergy Solutions, Inc. Handango Thanks to Our Sponsors!

  20. Human Computer Interaction Institute School of Computer Science Carnegie Mellon University Thank you! Using Handhelds to Help People with Motor Impairments Brad A. Myers, Jacob O. Wobbrock, Sunny Yang, Brian Yeung, Jeffrey Nichols, and Robert MillerDownload our software!!http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~pebbles/assistive/ Assets’2002

  21. Shameless Plug • This talk being given usingour SlideShow Commander • Developed as part ofPebbles research project • Licensed as a commercialproduct • For Palm or PocketPC http://www.slideshowcommander.com

  22. Related Work • Adaptations to OS and software • Microsoft accessibility modes • Adaptations to hardware devices • E.g., alternative keyboards:http://www.microsoft.com/enable/ • Handhelds for other communities • Communication aides: Enkidu: http://www.enkidu.net • Research as cognitive aide: Archimedes [16] • Predictive keyboards and other input techniques for handhelds

  23. Alternative Input Devices • Less than 60% of people who need assistive devices use them • Not known • High cost • Decreasing utility over time • Easier for users to develop their own alternatives!

  24. Pebbles is: DAs for ntry of oth ytes and ocations from xternal ources. P E B B L E S http://www.pebbles.hcii.cmu.edu/

  25. Mouse Test • Modification of classic pointing device test • Click on red target, which moves from left to center to right • 3 sizes, 2 distances • Measure time anderrors

  26. Typing Test • Typing test from Soukoreff & MacKenzie [17] • Type target phrase exactly • Capital andlower-caseletters, punctuation

More Related