An app which makes texting and emailing easier for elderly people or those who have difficulty spelling has been designed by a team at a university in Glasgow.

MaxieKeyboard is a free, unique app for android phones, and was developed at the University of Strathclyde.

Most smartphones have sensitive touchscreens which can present a barrier to those experiencing the common side-effects of ageing, making typos difficult to avoid.

Dr Mark Dunlop, who co-ordinated the development team, said:

“We found that older adults were simply expected to use older phones but my gut feeling was that this wasn’t right, what people want is to be able to use smartphones.”

The team worked with 35 people in workshops to help develop the idea and found that the elderly are often more careful to send texts that are free from spelling errors.

Dr Dunlop, who lectures in computer and information sciences, continues:

“We noticed a big difference between their awareness of errors compared to others who had less difficulty using the touch screens, they were aware of social context and wanted to know of any errors.”

In response to this the team decided to create a keyboard that could be used across all apps, replacing the manufacturer’s default keyboard, to help build confidence when using their phones.

The app includes advanced spell check, a colour bar that allows you to see if there is a spelling error without looking away from the keyboard, a suggestions bar and auto correct to help eliminate any bloopers.

Although the app hasn’t been tested on those with dyslexia, the benefits are clear and will hopefully cross over. The auto-correct and advanced spellcheck will, in theory, remove some of the worry associated with texting and emailing and help to build confidence when doing so.

Dr Dunlop added:

“What was found overall was that people don’t actually make that many mistakes, so in fact their awareness of errors is much greater than the frequency by which they make them.”

The app is free and available to download via this link.

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