Smarter smartphone typing and editing for people who are blind
Intelligent Text Input and Editing Methods on Smartphones for Blind Users
New touch-and-voice tools for Android phones to help people who are blind type and fix text faster and with less effort.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | State University New York Stony Brook NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stony Brook, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11285287 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be offered new non-visual gesture typing and smarter voice-editing tools on Android that let you enter words by drawing free-form gestures on the QWERTY keyboard instead of tapping each letter. The team will build prototypes and test them with blind smartphone users while measuring typing speed, error rates, and how much time people spend editing spoken text. Researchers will use participant feedback to refine the designs and repeat testing to improve usability and performance. The goal is to make everyday tasks like messaging, email, shopping, and browsing faster and less frustrating for blind users.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People who are blind or have severe visual impairments and who regularly use Android smartphones for typing or voice input.
Not a fit: People who do not use Android phones, who prefer hardware keyboards, or who do not have vision loss are unlikely to benefit directly from this Android-focused accessibility work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could let blind users type and correct text much faster and with less effort, improving daily communication and independence.
How similar studies have performed: Gesture typing and speech input have improved speed for sighted users, and prior work shows voice editing is slow for blind users, so combining non-visual gestures with smarter voice-editing is promising but still relatively new for blind users.
Where this research is happening
Stony Brook, United States
- State University New York Stony Brook — Stony Brook, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bi, Xiaojun — State University New York Stony Brook
- Study coordinator: Bi, Xiaojun
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.