Swap: A Replacement-based Text Revision Technique for Mobile Devices

Abstract

Text revision is an important task to ensure the accuracy of text content. Revising text on mobile devices is cumbersome and time-consuming due to the imprecise caret control and the repetitive use of the backspace. We present Swap, a novel replacement-based technique to facilitate text revision on mobile devices. We conducted two user studies to validate the feasibility and the effectiveness of Swap compared to traditional text revision techniques. Results showed that Swap reduced efforts in caret control and repetitive backspace pressing during the text revision process. Most participants preferred to use the replacement-based technique rather than backspace and caret. They also commented that the new technique is easy to learn, and it makes text revision rapid and intuitive.