Dealing with limited input methods

People who develop software for desktop applications have a big advantage over people who develop for mobile devices--they can be sure that the user is able to use keyboards, mice, or pens to enter large amounts of data. Mobile app developers have to ensure that the input they need is limited; although most devices have virtual keyboards, they are not as friendly to use as physical keyboards. Therefore, the developer or designer must ensure that the input required is as little as possible and requires fewer keystrokes.

For HoloLens applications, this is even truer. Yes, we have a virtual keyboard. You used it to enter your credentials when you registered yourself with the device and probably, also when you set up the Wi-Fi connection, but you might have also noted that it is not so easy to use. To enter text, you are shown a keyboard, and you have to move your head to position the cursor on the correct keys and then tap at it while holding your head still to enter that key. This gesture is called an air-tap. We saw this in the last chapter. It takes very precise movements, and most people will not be able to do this for a longer period of time.

The HoloLens supports the use of a bluetooth keyboard, but most users will not have such a device. Also, relying on an external keyboard gets in the way of the wearable aspect of the device. If you have to carry a keyboard around all the time, using the HoloLens will be a lot less valuable.

Even if you have the need for a keyboard, be aware that most users are not proficient at typing and need to look at the keyboard to find the right keys. This means they are not looking at the holograms around them. I have noticed that people who do this follow a certain pattern:

1. Look at a hologram.
2. See that it needs input.
3. Look down at the keyboard.
4. Type some text.
5. Look up and notice that they don't immediately find the hologram with the input box.
6. Search a bit for the hologram.
7. See that they have made a mistake.
8. Return to the keyboard.
9. And so on...

Of course, this also happens with a regular application, but the head movement required to move from the keyboard to the object on screen is much easier and predictable. In the experiments I have done, people complained about the experience being tiring.

So, do not rely on keyboards being present except in some very specialized cases. HoloLens applications are not meant for data entry.

That being said, surely there are ways to interact with the objects around the user. Those ways are gestures and audio.