One Touch Character: A Simplified Japanese Character Input Method for Mobile Computing

This paper reports that useful search applications can be developed around "One-Touch-Character", a simplified method using digit keys originally developed for display-free touch-tone-telephones. Several input methods created in Japan have transformed into cultures characterized by their specific operations. "One-Touch-Character", one of the oldest methods, was born in 1990s and is seen as obsolete in the smartphone era. This paper introduces and compares input methods developed over the last 25 years. The drastic changes in appearance and features, from touch-tone telephones to smartphones through mobile phones, have strongly influenced input style. Though young people learnt quickly and became experts, those who could not catch the innovations became IT illiterates. To help them become positive users, we return to "One-Touch-Character". After investigating several different databases, we clarify what database characteristics suit "One-Touch-Character".