Soft Keyboard

A keyboard displayed on a screen that is operated by a pointing device (mouse, touch, head tracker, eye gaze, or switch) rather than physical key presses. Soft keyboards are essential assistive technology for people who cannot use a standard physical keyboard due to motor impairments, and are also the primary text entry method on touchscreen devices. Key accessibility considerations include key size and spacing (larger targets are easier to hit), layout familiarity (QWERTY is most common but not optimal for single-pointer use), prediction and auto-completion features to reduce keystrokes, scanning modes for switch users, and dwell-based selection for eye gaze users. The single-pointer interaction model of most soft keyboards means that travel distance between keys directly affects typing speed and user fatigue.