Evaluation of the Efficiency of Word Prediction Software to Text Input Speed for Tetraplegia

Overview

Computers now play an important role in the lives of most individuals.Access to computers is crucial for people with disabilities and may improve their quality of life. The use of computers can facilitate mainstreaming at school, for example, and the Internet may provide a valuable means of communication. However, the use of computers requires a certain degree of motor ability. People with motor disabilities frequently experience difficulties using a standard keyboard and standard pointing input systems such as a mouse. Many solutions exist to facilitate computer access, depending on the person's specific impairments and the purpose for which the computer is used. The most common solution relies on the use of a virtual keyboard which is directly displayed on the computer screen. The selection of the desired key on the virtual keyboard can be handled by a large variety of input devices, from a microgravity mouse to single switch devices supplemented by a process of dynamic scanning of the keyboard.Although such assistive devices render computers accessible to people with disabilities, the actual inputting of text can be very slow. A method to increase text input speed is to display words which are predicted from the letters previously typed. Word prediction reduces the number of necessary key strokes by avoiding having to type the whole word. The effect on text input speed is, however uncertain and results in the literature are inconclusive. Indeed, word prediction software provide a enhancement of cognitive load which decrease text input speed.The reduction of cognitive load could therefore be based in part on the optimization settings of the software and / or achievement of a rehabilitation program.Our hypothesis are for people with spinal cord injury : i) optimization settings word prediction software and ii) a rehabilitation program could improve the text input speed.The investigators propose to study the influence of settings word prediction software on text input speed and the influence of a rehabilitation program provided by a therapist, focused on word prediction software to help integrate them. The aim is to increase the performance of people with spinal cord injury and their satisfaction. The first phase of this research is to select the word prediction software and configuration that provides the best user support.The second phase corresponds to the objective of evaluating the efficiency of a rehabilitation program .

PHASE 1 : The first phase studied the repeated measurement of the efficiency of typing text topics in various situations. Each subject will copy a text different in each test and in a random order. Similarly, if the word prediction software has a capacity for self-improvement the internal dictionary, it will be disabled. the investigators will study one setting of the configuration word prediction software. Are available the length of the list of proposals for which three options are selected: 1, 3 or 5 words, according to the literature and to the results of a questionnaire.This questionnaire was sent to identify the use of people with spinal cord injury and professionals about word prediction software. The list of words is in the upper position of the screen based on the results of the questionnaire. Four combinations will be tested on each subject. Twelve Tetraplegics will be required in each group (one group using a virtual keyboard and one group using the physical keyboard) Each combination will be tried for 10 minutes. PHASE 2 : The second phase will evaluate the effeciency of a rehabilitation program reduced cognitive load generated by the software predictions words. The investigators propose an evaluation of the effects of 12 training sessions in a controlled, randomized, three parallel groups (experimental group : rehabilitation program, a group : a self-learning and a group : no learning). Text input tests will be performed before and after the training sessions for people who have rehabilitation program. For the other two groups, those will be reviewed one month after the first test. For this evaluation, a different text but with the same difficulty will be used. The order of execution will be randomized. At the end of the month the three groups will be evaluated according to the same procedures for the firts test.