Smartwatches are quickly becoming a popular complement to smartphones for notifications and activity tracking, yet most lack an effective method for text input. Typing on a smartwatch with an onscreen keyboard was originally

thought to be impractical due to the small screen size. As a result, alternative keyboards that use “zoom” features to enlarge key size were developed as a potential solution. However, observed typing speeds with alternative keyboards are slow, and they often have a steep learning curve. Recent research, in a lab setting using a more familiar full QWERTY onscreen keyboard, demonstrated that it is possible to type quickly on a smartwatch while seated. Given the ubiquitous and mobile nature of smartwatches, this study examines typing performance using a full QWERTY keyboard while mobile. Participants typed using two different text input methods—trace and tap—with their index finger while standing and while walking. Results show participants typed faster with trace (35 words per minute) than tap (30 words per minute), regardless of whether they were standing or walking or whether they had prior experience with trace input. These typing speeds are among the fastest reported in the smartwatch literature. Typing accuracy was also better for trace than for tap and better when standing than while walking. Subjectively, participants rated trace easier to use, preferred it over tap, and suggested they would use it in the future if available. Recommendations to include a full QWERTY keyboard on all smartwatch designs are discussed.