Senorita: A Chorded Keyboard for Sighted, Low Vision, and Blind Mobile Users

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Senorita is a novel two-thumb virtual chorded keyboard for mobile devices. It arranges the letters on eight keys in a single row by the bottom edge of the device based on letter frequencies and the anatomy of the thumbs. Unlike most chorded methods, it provides visual cues to perform the chording actions in sequence, instead of simultaneously, when the actions are unknown, facilitating "learning by doing". Its compact design leaves most of the screen available and its position near the edge accommodates eyes-free text entry. In a longitudinal study with a smartphone, Senorita yielded on average 14 wpm. In a short-term study with a tablet, it yielded on average 9.3 wpm. In the final longitudinal study, it yielded 3.7 wpm with blind users, surpassing their Qwerty performance. Low vision users yielded 5.8 wpm. Further, almost all users found Senorita effective, easy to learn, and wanted to keep use it.