ZoomText:
A Comparative Analysis of Existing and Novel Controller-Based Symbolic Input Methods in Virtual Reality

Symbolic input is a key challenge for Mixed Reality interaction, as the standard point-and-click QWERTY keyboard is inefficient and error-prone. Here, we implement and evaluate alternative methods for entering text using hand-held controllers. We propose ZoomText, a single-joystick novel solution that utilizes a circular layout with dynamic zooming and will compare its results to existing text entry methods. We compare its performance at three different zoom factors to point-and-click QWERTY, and two varieties of PizzaText. We find that ZoomText with a medium-to-high zoom factor is more accurate than all other techniques assessed and competitive with two-handed PizzaText on speed. However, point-and-click QWERTY was much faster than all other methods and greatly preferred by users. We conclude that there is reason for further exploration in circular, controller-based symbolic input techniques in MR, but that there are significant hurdles in user experience compared to more familiar methods.