This article discusses the Keyboard Augmentation Toolkit

(KAT), which supports the creation of virtual keyboards that can be used both for
standalone input (e.g., for mid-air text entry) and to augment physically tracked
keyboards/surfaces in mixed reality. In a user study, we firstly examine the impact and
pitfalls of visualising shortcuts on a tracked physical keyboard, exploring the utility of virtual
per-keycap displays. Supported by this and other recent developments in XR keyboard
research, we then describe the design, development, and evaluation-by-demonstration of
KAT. KAT simplifies the creation of virtual keyboards (optionally bound to a tracked physical
keyboard) that support enhanced display —2D/3D per-key content that conforms to the
virtual key bounds; enhanced interactivity —supporting extensible per-key states such as
tap, dwell, touch, swipe; flexible keyboard mappings that can encapsulate groups of
interaction and display elements, e.g., enabling application-dependent interactions; and
flexible layouts —allowing the virtual keyboard to merge with and augment a physical
keyboard, or switch to an alternate layout (e.g., mid-air) based on need. Through these
features, KAT will assist researchers in the prototyping, creation and replication of XR
keyboard experiences, fundamentally altering the keyboard’s form and function.