Apple | Intelligent Input

Apple  |  Intelligent Input

Chinese has over 50 000 characters. Chinese computer users need to learn specific methods to enter text with qwerty keyboards. Apple’s Chinese Input Suite combined handwriting and speech for text entry without complex keyboard input methods.

In my role a lead designer I studied user behaviors and developed novel input interaction approaches with users in China, Hong Kong, and Singapore and Japan. While based on leading edge recognition technology, the interface is simple and allows users to seamlessly switch between speaking and writing.

The shipping product was the world’s first multimodal input solution for the China market and awarded with the Silver Industrial Design Excellence by IDSA & BusinessWeek, 1997.

Multimodal input: Handwriting and speech are integrated as complimentary tools. Text can be created and edited directly into a document window.
Universal: Users can enter directly into all MacOS documents or text fields.
Customization: The handwriting input method is adjustable to individual styles, preferences and application contexts.
The Apple Chinese Input Suite was the first integrated input system that enabled users to enter Chinese in a way that is natural, intuitive and easy-to-use.