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The ABILITY Team

Efficiency of Lithuanian Predictive Writing in Mobile Phones Among Sighted and Visually Impaired Users

AI generated image of a mobile phone and a hand holding a pen with some unreadable text on the screen
AI generated image of a mobile phone and a hand holding a pen with some unreadable text on the screen

Lithuanian predictive writing solutions have made notable strides in recent years, providing an increasingly intuitive typing experience for native speakers. Available on most smartphones, these tools aim to streamline communication by suggesting commonly used words and phrases, adapting to the user’s writing style over time. While basic functions like word prediction and autocorrect are generally effective, the solutions still face challenges with the nuanced inflections and diacritics unique to the Lithuanian language.

One advantage is the seamless integration with popular keyboard apps, including Gboard and SwiftKey, both of which offer Lithuanian support. These apps adapt to user preferences, incorporating commonly typed words into their predictive algorithms. However, the accuracy of predictions varies, particularly in more formal contexts or when dealing with complex grammatical structures. Users may find that predictive suggestions are sometimes limited in scope, with certain colloquial expressions or dialectal words not as readily recognized. Despite these limitations, the overall experience is efficient for day-to-day conversations and simpler text entries.

For visually impaired users relying on screen readers like TalkBack, using predictive writing in Lithuanian can present additional challenges. The process of selecting predictive text suggestions can be cumbersome, as the screen reader must announce each option aloud, slowing down the typing process and sometimes even disrupting the flow of writing. As a result, many users find it difficult to use predictive writing efficiently and may opt to disable or limit it to specific situations where predictions are straightforward and useful, such as typing common phrases or familiar words. While predictive writing has potential for enhancing typing speed, these accessibility limitations mean that visually impaired users often cannot fully benefit from the feature in its current form.

While there is promise for continued improvement, current solutions still have room to grow in order to provide a seamless and inclusive experience for all users.


Vilmantas Balčikonis

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