T9 in a Different Time

Past research has shown reduced driving decrement when T9 (assisted text entry) was used, as compared to multi-tap (unassisted text entry) conditions. Yet, the results of this study contradict those past; T9 appears to provide no significant benefit to texting while driving. This finding could point to a population shift – T9 is no longer widely used, so its benefits are not seen. Further research should be conducted with other forms of text entry or other predictive texting programs, such as iTap, Swype, and Siri.

Authors: Jessica Siler, Daniel Hinton, and Kevin Ortiz-Diaz

Presented at the Human Factors and Applied Psychology Student Conference