About This Project

Typing is often inaccurate and frustrating for people with Parkinson’s disease due to tremors and bradykinesia. As digitalization and the number of cases increase, the lack of accessible tools reduces quality of life. This project hypothesizes that integrating cueing techniques—external stimuli proven to aid movement in Parkinson’s—into a digital assistive tool will lessen the impact of symptoms, empowering users through a user-centered design approach. oncuedesign.net

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

OnCue is the result of my Master’s thesis at TU Delft, developed in collaboration with ParkinsonNL to promote the integration of cueing techniques and raise awareness of the typing challenges faced by people living with Parkinson’s. Through interviews, I learned how improving keyboard interaction can help people feel more independent and less frustrated. What I take for granted is, for them, a real obstacle. That contrast inspired me to continue beyond graduation, committed to making this project a reality.

While cueing is a well-established method in mobility aids (e.g., for walking), it has never been applied to computer interaction. OnCue is the first to bring this powerful approach into the digital realm, embedding sensory feedback into a modular, ergonomic keyboard system.

What is the significance of this project?

OnCue addresses a clear, unmet need among people living with Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative condition affecting 12 million people worldwide. Its prevalence is rising rapidly and is expected to exceed 25 million by 2050, representing an increase of more than 100% from 2021.

They face significant challenges using physical keyboards due to bradykinesia, a symptom that slows movement and impairs fine motor control. Combined with tremors, this makes typing error-prone and frustrating, often leading to avoidance behaviour. Furthermore, as digitalization accelerates, this is becoming a growing concern.

By turning typing from a frustrating, error-filled task into an accessible activity, OnCue enhances quality of life in an increasingly digital world that must be on for everyone.

Beyond Parkinson’s, OnCue’s design is inherently scalable. It could support users with overlapping motor or cognitive conditions such as Alzheimer’s or dystonia.

What are the goals of the project?

The goal is not to replace or disrupt how people interact, but to adapt a tool that empowers them. The study will involve 10–12 people living with early-stage Parkinson’s disease, all self-sufficient and regular computer users. Participants will use the keyboard (plus wristbands) as they normally would in everyday activities. The focus will not be on measuring performance analytically, but on understanding the user experience, since previous studies have shown this is the most valuable measure for a condition with so many individual variations. Sessions will be supported by occupational therapists specialized in Parkinson’s, who will help assess OnCue according to participants’ different needs. To evaluate user experience, we will use the COPM, a client-centered assessment tool widely used in occupational therapy. Through a structured interview, participants will select activities important to them, rate their performance and satisfaction on a 1–10 scale, and track progress over time.