<aside> 💡 In a virtual reality environment, using a keyboard should be similar to the tangible version in a real-world environment. A user should be able to use the various keys on the keyboard to input all sorts of content, such as usernames/passwords/search keywords, etc.

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Intro

Just like other interactive components, the Project Touch keyboard supports direct manipulations by using hands or index finger gestures when using a controller. When the keyboard pops up, a small ball appears at the tip of the player's index finger in the virtual environment. This small ball at the fingertip can help the player aim more precisely at the keys.

Project Touch recommends designing the keyboard with a combination of buttons and knobs. The buttons, which mimic physical feedback as keycaps, can provide good visual and tactile feedback. The knobs allow players to freely move the keyboard to any comfortable position and adjust it to the appropriate size.

Design

Project Touch encourages simulating a real-world keyboard, while also utilizing the strength of virtual reality to make it more dynamic than a physical version:

• Unlike a physical keyboard, the virtual keycaps do not need to completely fit the player's hand movements for linear feedback. Having an automatically-played animation of sinking and rising makes the keyboard usage experience more fluent.
• We recommend placing the knobs at the top left and top right of the keyboard so that once the player has adjusted the position and size, all the keycaps will be within the player's arm's reach.
• A keyboard is a tool that greatly relies on feedback, and a player will finely tune their actions along the usage. However, tactile feedback is lacking in virtual reality. We need to compensate for the missing physical keyboard tactile feedback from three perspectives:
  • Visual - Using keycap animations to communicate the visual feedback.
  • Tactile - If players use controller gestures with the keyboard, we can add a slight vibration to the controller for each keystroke.
  • Auditory - We recommend using sound effects to emphasize the keystroke action. Please note, that when designing keyboard sounds, try to differentiate the sounds of letter keys from function keys. Here we provide two sound effects as examples."

Alphabets

Keyboard_Default.mp3

Functions

Keyboard_Backspace.mp3

Example

Reposition the keyboard with knobs

Reposition the keyboard with knobs

Typing

Typing

Re-size the keyboard with knobs

Re-size the keyboard with knobs