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Text Input in Indic Scripts

Anirudha JoshiIndustrial Design Centre, IIT Bombay

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Graduates (3.7%)

Metric (8%)

Middle school (9%)

Primary school (14%)

Illiterate

(35%)

Tele-density ShareUrban 148% 62%Rural 40% 38%

(Jan 2013, TRAI)

HSC / Diploma (4%)

Illiterate

(26%)

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Sour

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he T

imes

of I

ndia

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How many people in India speak English?

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How many people in India prefer to speak in English?

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op 1

0 Pu

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tions

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MRU

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Dainik Jagran (Hin); 17%

Dainik Bhaskar (Hin); 15%

Hindustan (Hin); 12%

Malayala Manorama (Mal); 10%

Amar Ujala (Hin); 9%

The Times Of India (Eng); 8%

Lokmat (Mar); 8%

Daily Thanthi (Tam); 8%

Rajasthan Pa-trika (Hin); 7%

Mathrubhumi (Mal); 7%

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IDC

Structure of the Devanagari Script

क ख ग घ ङ च छ ज झ ञ ट ठ ड ढ ण त थ द ध न प फ ब भ म

◌ ा� िा ा� ा� ा ा! ा" ा# ा$ ा% ा&

य र ल व श ष स ह ळ क्ष ज्ञ

क ख ग घ ङ

च छ ज झ ञ

GutturalsPalatalsLingualsDentalsLabials

Vowel modifiers

Semi-vowels

अ आ इ ई उ ऊ ए ऐ ओ औ अ% अ&

Vowels

ट ठ ड ढ ण त थ द ध न

प फ ब भ म

Cons

onan

tsVo

wels

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Challenges in Text Input in Indian Languages

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क ख ग घ ङ च छ ज झ ञ ट ठ ड ढ ण त थ द ध न प फ ब भ म

◌ ा� िा ा� ा� ा ा! ा" ा# ा$ ा% ा&

य र ल व श ष स ह ळ क्ष ज्ञ

GutturalsPalatalsLingualsDentalsLabials

Vowel modifiers

Semi-vowels

अ आ इ ई उ ऊ ए ऐ ओ औ अ% अ&

VowelsCo

nson

ants

Vowe

ls Large number of

characters– ~660 frequent glyphs

2+ keystrokes = glyph क + ा# = क# (C + V)

क + ा# + ा% = कों (C + V + V) Difference in pronunciation

and visual sequence क + िा = किा

Conjuncts (halant ा=between two consonants)ट + ा= + व = ट=व (C + C)

Varying similarity between conjuncts and consonantsस + ा= + त = स्तक + ा= + र = क्रर + ा= + क = क@क + ा= + ष = क्ष

Text Input in Indic Languages

QWERTY keyboard for Devanagari input–Devanagari needs 52 keys (13 vowels,

34 consonants, 4 conjuncts, 1 halant)–QWERTY has 26 un-shifted keys

Leads to cognitive load on users–Complex structure of Indic scripts (G >

K)–Large number of glyphs

Need much training and practice–30-50 hours to reach 25 wpm–Slow starts–Only professional typists put in the

effort QWERTY is not suitable14

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Task Success /5 Users

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Without helpp (one tailed)

Nokia (0.208)Samsung (0.195)Sony (0.001)

Totalp (one tailed)

Nokia (0.000)Samsung (0.010)Sony (0.000)

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Disha

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Swarachakra

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Inscript

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Aug 2013

Jun 2013

Oct 2013

Jan 2014