Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
56 results found in Alternative Input.
- Aim Assist (Aim Assistance, Auto-Aim, Bullet Magnetism, Area Cursor)
- A category of input-assistance features in shooter games that help a player acquire or track targets, for example by enlarging the effective cursor area, bending projectile paths toward enemies, or sl…
- Alternative Input Device (Alternative Input, Adapted Input, Alternative Access)
- Any computer input device used in place of a standard keyboard and mouse by people who cannot operate conventional input hardware due to physical, motor, or other disabilities. Alternative input devic…
- Alternative Input Method (Alternative Input, Non-Standard Input)
- Any method of providing input to a computer or device that differs from the conventional keyboard, mouse, and touchscreen interfaces. Alternative input methods are essential for people with motor, sen…
- Biosignal Interface (Physiological Interface, Biometric Input)
- An input interface that detects and interprets biological signals from the human body — such as muscle contractions (EMG), brain electrical activity (EEG), eye movements (EOG), or galvanic skin respon…
- Breath Control (Sip-and-Puff Control, Pneumatic Input)
- An assistive technology input method that uses breath pressure — blowing or sipping through a sensor — to control a computer, device, or instrument. Breath control is particularly valuable for individ…
- Calibration-Free Interface (Zero-Shot Interface, Plug-and-Play Interface, Cross-User Model)
- An input system that works for a new user without any per-user training or calibration data, typically by relying on models trained on large multi-user datasets that capture enough physiological and b…
- Chording Keyboard (Chord Keyboard, Chorded Keyboard, Chording Input)
- A text input device that generates characters by pressing multiple keys or moving multiple inputs simultaneously rather than pressing individual keys sequentially as on a standard keyboard. Similar to…
- Continuous Input (Continuous Control, Analog Input)
- Continuous input is any interaction technique in which the user varies a parameter smoothly along a range rather than selecting from a set of discrete options — adjusting a slider, dragging a brush, t…
- Continuous Specification (Continuous Positioning, Continuous Cursor Movement)
- In cursor control interfaces, a positioning method where the cursor moves steadily in a given direction at a controlled rate until the user signals it to stop. This approach allows precise positioning…
- Continuous Voice Control (Continuous Vocal Control, Proportional Voice Control)
- A voice interaction paradigm in which vocal parameters such as pitch, loudness, vowel quality, and timbre are used to provide smooth, proportional, real-time control of a system, as opposed to discret…
- Discrete Specification (Discrete Positioning, Grid-Based Positioning)
- In cursor control interfaces, a positioning method where the user selects from a finite set of predefined locations to move the cursor to an approximate position quickly. Examples include grid-based s…
- Dragon NaturallySpeaking (Dragon Dictation, Dragon Speech Recognition, Nuance Dragon)
- Dragon NaturallySpeaking is a commercial speech recognition software product, originally developed by Dragon Systems and later acquired by Nuance Communications (now part of Microsoft). It converts sp…
- DragonDictate (Dragon Dictate)
- An early discrete speech recognition system developed by Dragon Systems that allowed users to control computers and dictate text by speaking one word at a time with brief pauses between words. Release…
- Dwell-Based Selection (Dwell Selection, Dwell Time Selection)
- An interaction technique used in eye-gaze and head-tracking interfaces in which holding the cursor over a target for a fixed duration (the 'dwell time', typically 300-1000 ms) triggers a selection, re…
- Electrooculogram (EOG, Electrooculography)
- The electrooculogram (EOG) is a technique for measuring the electrical potential difference between the front and back of the eye using surface electrodes placed around the eyes. This corneal-retinal …
- Ergonomic Keyboard (Ergonomic Input Device)
- A keyboard designed to reduce physical stress, strain, and injury risk during typing by conforming to the natural posture and biomechanics of the hands, wrists, and arms. Ergonomic keyboard designs in…
- Facial Gesture Recognition (Face Tracking, Facial Expression Recognition)
- Technology that uses cameras and computer vision algorithms to detect and interpret facial movements and expressions in real time. For accessibility, facial gestures such as opening the mouth, raising…
- Gestural Interaction (Gesture-Based Interaction)
- A mode of human-computer interaction in which users control systems through movements of the body — hands, arms, head, eyes, or whole body — captured by sensors such as accelerometers, cameras, IMUs, …
- Ghost Cursor (Phantom Cursor, Proxy Cursor)
- A visual indicator displayed on screen that shows a potential cursor position, used in speech-based and alternative cursor movement systems. Multiple ghost cursors can be displayed simultaneously, typ…
- Grid-Based Navigation (Grid Navigation, Grid Cursor Control)
- A speech-controlled cursor positioning technique that divides the screen into numbered regions, allowing users to select progressively smaller areas by speaking numbers until the cursor reaches the ta…