Ergonomic Radial Inclusive Controller Keyboard (ERICK)

Current Version: v2.2.0

An accessibility-first keyboard and assistive technology project for Android and iOS that replaces tiny keys with two large directional controls.
Type with touch or a physical game controller, use it as a lower-effort virtual keyboard, learn with guided quickstart and practice lessons, switch across 10 supported keyboard languages, get offline learned word prediction, and keep every keystroke on your own device.



Website · View Architecture & App Context · User Guide · Research · AI Agent Guide · Changelog

Report Bug · Request Feature

About The Project

ERICK is an accessibility-first keyboard. Instead of asking the user to hit rows of small keys, it uses two large directional controls. Moving the left and right controls together creates a character "chord." The same system works with on-screen touch controls or with physical gaming controllers such as DualShock, Xbox, and 8BitDo pads.

ERICK is designed first for people who struggle with standard touch keyboards, especially users with motor limitations, repetitive strain issues, or situations where precise tapping is uncomfortable. At the same time, it can also help many everyday users by making typing more predictable on small screens, enabling controller-based typing or gamepad typing on TVs and consoles, and supporting lower-visual-demand typing.

The default Logical layout uses a clear A-Z arrangement to make learning easier for new users and for people who prefer a simple, easy-to-follow pattern. An Efficiency layout is also included for users who want faster typing after practice. ERICK also includes guided quickstart flows, reusable practice lessons and quote practice, controller diagnostics and tuning on Android, offline learned word prediction, live previews, left-handed mode, dyslexia-friendly fonts, colorblind-safe palettes, haptic and controller rumble feedback, theme support, and custom layouts.

Everything runs fully offline. ERICK requests no internet permission, collects no typing data, and keeps every keystroke on the device, making it a privacy-focused keyboard as well as an accessibility keyboard.

Why ERICK Matters

ERICK is built around the idea that accessibility should improve the product for everyone, not only for a small group of users.

• Large touch targets can help people with limited dexterity, but they also reduce mistakes on small screens.
• Controller support can help users who cannot rely on touch, but it also makes sense for couches, TVs, and gaming setups.
• Predictive text can reduce effort for users with fatigue or motor limitations, while also speeding up everyday typing.
• Offline privacy protects vulnerable users and gives privacy-conscious users a keyboard they can actually trust.

Key Use Cases

• Accessible typing for people with motor disabilities, limited finger dexterity, or repetitive strain injuries
• Controller-based typing on gaming consoles, smart TVs, and set-top boxes
• Low-visual-demand or eyes-free typing
• Typing while commuting or multitasking
• Privacy-preserving alternative to data-collecting commercial keyboards

Built With

Availability

• Android: v2.2.0 is available on Google Play.
• iOS: App Store release coming soon. Source builds remain available from the Xcode project under ios/.
• Website: vatsalunadkat.github.io/ERICKeyboard

Features

Current Implementation

• Cross-platform keyboard support on Android and iOS with touch and physical controller input
• Dual-dial chorded typing with 8-section and optional 6-section modes, live previews, and utility swipes
• Three input modes: Quick Type, Steady Type, and One-Handed
• Three layout modes: Logical, Efficiency, and Custom, plus a custom layout creator
• Emoji keyboard mode with shared Unicode/CLDR category tabs, long-press skin tones, 32-item recents, and a built-in emoticons category
• Shared keyboard-language profiles and localized app UI for English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Norwegian Bokmal, Danish, Swedish, and Finnish
• Offline typing assistance with autocorrect, next-word suggestions, and per-language learned prediction profiles
• Guided learning flows including Quickstart, Practice Hub lessons, and quote practice
• Controller-focused features including Android diagnostics, controller tuning, and supported controller rumble
• Accessibility and personalization options including left-handed mode, colorblind-safe palettes, custom colors, theme support, and OpenDyslexic
• Typing polish such as haptic feedback, typing sounds, shift and Caps Lock indicators, accelerating backspace, and offline-first privacy

Future Directions

• Non-English Efficiency layouts and broader language or script expansion
• iOS App Store release packaging and parity validation
• Improved Word Prediction and User Dictionaries
• Typing analytics and improvement tracking

Project Structure

ERICK/
├── android/                     Android implementation
│   ├── app/                     Android app module
│   ├── shared/                  Kotlin Multiplatform shared module
│   └── README.md                Android setup guide
├── ios/                         iOS implementation
│   ├── ERICK/                   Xcode project
│   └── README.md                iOS setup guide
├── docs/                        Website and documentation
│   ├── documentation/
│   │   ├── APP_CONTEXT.md      Mirrored architecture copy for docs navigation
│   │   ├── User_Guide.md
│   │   ├── Jira/
│   │   └── Research/
│   ├── index.html
│   ├── accessibility.html
│   ├── who-benefits.html
│   ├── releases.html
│   ├── privacy-policy.html
│   ├── robots.txt
│   └── sitemap.xml
├── APP_CONTEXT.md               Canonical architecture doc
├── CHANGELOG.md
├── PROJECT_PROMPT.md
└── README.md

Project Artifacts

Higher-Quality MP4 Previews

Use these direct clips when the GIF previews look too compressed in GitHub.

• Quick Type
• Steady Type
• One-Handed
• Controller typing
• Alternative controller typing
• Quote practice

Input Modes

Controller And Accessibility

Practice

Documentation

Document	Description
AGENTS.md	Short AI-first workflow, validation commands, and hotspot guide
APP_CONTEXT.md	Canonical architecture, class diagrams, sequence diagrams, and component docs
User Guide	End-user guide for typing, settings, accessibility, and troubleshooting
Research	Research notes, layout optimization, and academic references
CHANGELOG.md	Version history and release notes
Sprint Archives	Jira ticket archives

AI Tooling

ERICK keeps explicit instruction files for multiple coding agents. These were cross-checked against the tools' documented instruction surfaces on 2026-04-25.

Tool	Files ERICK maintains	Notes
GitHub Copilot	.github/copilot-instructions.md, AGENTS.md, nested docs/AGENTS.md	GitHub docs also support .github/instructions/*.instructions.md, nested AGENTS.md, and root CLAUDE.md. ERICK keeps shared guidance in AGENTS.md and uses Copilot-specific overlay instructions in .github/.
Claude Code	CLAUDE.md, nested docs/CLAUDE.md	Anthropic docs say Claude reads CLAUDE.md, not AGENTS.md directly, so ERICK imports AGENTS.md from CLAUDE.md to keep the rules aligned.
Cursor	.cursor/rules/erick-ai-first.mdc, AGENTS.md, nested docs/AGENTS.md	Cursor project rules are the primary editor-native surface. Cursor also supports plain AGENTS.md files in the root and subdirectories.
Codex	AGENTS.md, nested docs/AGENTS.md	OpenAI docs say Codex layers AGENTS.md files from the repo root down to the current working directory, with nearer files taking precedence.

Important scoped files for lower-context or weaker models:

• android/AGENTS.md and android/CLAUDE.md for Android UI, IME, and screen-size guidance
• ios/AGENTS.md and ios/CLAUDE.md for iOS keyboard-extension and host-app layout guidance
• docs/AGENTS.md and docs/CLAUDE.md for website responsiveness, mirrored docs, and diagram updates
• docs/documentation/Research/AGENTS.md and docs/documentation/Research/CLAUDE.md for Python research scripts and reproducible research workflow

When you update shared AI workflow rules, keep these files aligned: AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, android/AGENTS.md, android/CLAUDE.md, ios/AGENTS.md, ios/CLAUDE.md, docs/AGENTS.md, docs/CLAUDE.md, docs/documentation/Research/AGENTS.md, docs/documentation/Research/CLAUDE.md, .cursor/rules/erick-ai-first.mdc, and .github/copilot-instructions.md.

Contributing

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/your-feature
3. Make your changes and ensure they build on both platforms.
4. Commit with a descriptive message.
5. Open a pull request against main.

Please read the platform-specific setup guides before contributing:

• Android setup
• iOS setup

Contributors

Samiksha Bisen (Android and iOS), Xingxing Yang (Kotlin Multiplatform and controller support), Adilet Tursynn (Research), Angeliki Paneri (UI/UX Design), Nazgul Engvall (Android settings), and Vilgot M (Android UI and polish).

License

This project is source available, not open source. It is free for personal, educational, and accessibility use. Commercial use and modified redistribution require written permission. See LICENSE for full terms.

Contact

Vatsal Paresh Unadkat
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vatsalunadkat/
Project Link: https://github.com/vatsalunadkat/ERICKeyboard

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