Physical Interfaces

The main focus of this course has been on system interfaces with respect to how the software is presented or on "new" technologies like touchscreens or motion tracking. I also think that the design of a complete system includes the physical devices used as input. In my last post, I discussed how the mouse radically changed the computer world. The keyboard, on the other hand, has been around as long as processors themselves and haven't changed much. This is exactly why it is so important not to try to change the keyboard layout.

I looked into the evolution of keyboards and the majority of them look almost identical. The Ctrl, Alt and proprietary keys (Windows, Option, etc) are the only ones that seem to move. The biggest shift seems to be the release of the IBM 101-key "Enhanced" keyboard in 1986. This keyboard moved the CapsLock next to the A, swapping it with the Ctrl key, and moved the function keys to a new row above the number keys. It became the standard for all common computers and is still used to this day, despite research showing that other layouts, such as the Dvorak layout, are faster and more accurate.

Once typists and casual users learned the specific layout of the 101-key design, they became accustomed to it to the point that any other keyboard would require a complete re-learning. Even if one decided to learn the Dvorak layout, they would still be forced to use QWERTY present on nearly every other machine they used.

The main point is that at this point in history, it would be nearly impossible to replace or redesign the keyboard. When we design interfaces, it is critical to evaluate how old systems worked and how willing users would be to change to a new design.