Accessible Text Entry
Input methods for blind, low-vision, and motor-impaired users across phones, tablets, and watches.
Human–Computer Interaction · Accessibility · Mobile Interaction
Gulnar Rakhmetulla
Faculty member and HCI researcher designing and developing accessible, inclusive, and intelligent interaction techniques for mobile devices.
College of Technology & Engineering, Westcliff University
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Ph.D. in Computer Science
University of California, Merced
About
Designing interaction techniques that make technology easier to use.
I earned my Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California, Merced, where I worked in the Inclusive Interaction Lab. My research focuses on accessibility, usability, and inclusive design, especially mobile text entry for smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches.
I also hold an MSc from the University of Sheffield and a BSc from International Information Technology University in Kazakhstan. I am currently a full-time faculty member in the College of Technology & Engineering at Westcliff University.
Research
Research areas
Mobile Interaction
Gesture typing, one-handed text editing, smartwatch input, and interaction techniques for constrained devices.
Intelligent Interfaces
Context-aware and adaptive interfaces that use multimodal signals to improve efficiency and usability.
Selected Publications
Research highlights
2025
Predicting Text Selection Time and Effort on Smartphones from Selection Characteristics
Gulnar Rakhmetulla, Ahmed Sabbir Arif · PETRA 2025
Publication2023
GeShort: One-Handed Mobile Text Editing and Formatting with Gestural Shortcuts and a Floating Clipboard
Gulnar Rakhmetulla, Yuan Ren, Ahmed Sabbir Arif · MobileHCI 2023
Publication2023
Crownboard: A One-Finger Crown-Based Smartwatch Keyboard for Users with Limited Dexterity
Gulnar Rakhmetulla, Ahmed Sabbir Arif · CHI 2023
Publication2021
SwipeRing: Gesture Typing on Smartwatches Using a Segmented Qwerty Around the Bezel
Gulnar Rakhmetulla, Ahmed Sabbir Arif · Graphics Interface 2021 · Best Paper Award
2020
Senorita: A Chorded Keyboard for Sighted, Low Vision, and Blind Mobile Users
Gulnar Rakhmetulla, Ahmed Sabbir Arif · CHI 2020
Teaching
Teaching and academic work
Current Teaching Areas
Big Data Analytics & Visualization, Strategic Technology Management, User Interface Design, and systems engineering.
Mentoring
Supporting graduate and doctoral students in research design, quantitative methods, technology management, and HCI.
News
Recent updates
- June 2026 — “BezelBraille: A Braille-Inspired Bezel-Guided Virtual Keyboard for Low Vision and Blind Users” accepted for publication in PACM HCI / MobileHCI.
- October 2025 — Received the “Catalyst for Change” Award at Westcliff University’s SOAR 2025.
- June 2025 — Presented work on predicting text selection time and effort at PETRA 2025.
- April 2023 — Presented Crownboard at CHI 2023 in Hamburg, Germany.
- May 2021 — Received the Michael A. J. Sweeney Best Student Paper Award at Graphics Interface 2021.
Contact
Get in touch
For research, collaboration, and academic inquiries: