The Science of Keyboard Design

Thoughtful summary by Amar Sagoo of the keyboard design recommendations from The Handbook of Human-Computer Interaction:

The work successfully produced empirical evidence that led to very concrete and specific recommendations for the design of keyboards. Even so, today’s keyboard makers seem either oblivious or ignorant of all this latent wisdom. Given that we’re talking about a device that millions of people have to physically interact with on a daily basis — in many cases for several solid hours — it is sad that we’ve kept repeating the same mistakes that we’ve had the potential to avoid for more than twenty years.

★ Friday, 23 May 2008