Here's my suggestion for an open letter to keyboard manufacturers. I would be happy to see it reach as many keyboard manufacturers as possible but before "releasing" it, I need your feedback on the draft. Please share your criticisms and suggestions. Corrections of grammar, style, vocabulary, etc are welcome.
You can provide your feedback by using the comments form at the bottom of this page.
Here it is:
Open letter to keyboard manufacturers: suggestion for the adoption of a new standard in the design of conventional keyboards
Address to the manufacturers of conventional keyboards
Dear keyboard manufacturers,
I would like to suggest to you to implement a new standard in the design of conventional keyboards. I am suggesting a number of small, yet effective improvements in the design of keyboards. Let me comfort you that what I am proposing is not a radical change from what we are already used to type on. Actually some of the suggestions outlined below can be seen on the market, gaining in popularity, though quite slowly.
Address to the manufacturers of alternative keyboards
Dear keyboard manufacturers,
Little improvements like those suggested below will not make the current keyboard design completely friendly to the human body. But unlike the paradigm-shifting keyboard designs, their benefits can be felt in a matter of minutes.
Adoption of the proposed standard would not make people rush to the stores for even better, utterly ergonomic solutions. But it might bring forward the concept of ergonomic typing a step ahead; and that is something we are missing on the large scale.
List of suggested improvements:
a) separated number pad, attachable to both the left and right ends of the keyboard
explanation: the number pad takes up space which limits the area of movement of the mouse. The latter makes up for more reaching and stretching of the hand.
learning curve: none
models on the market with this feature: none
b) USB ports on the keyboard + legacy mouse port
explanation: convenient for plugging the pointing device; a standard on Macs since long ago
learning curve: none
models on the market with this feature:
c) ports for headphones and mic on the keyboard
explanation: greater convenience
learning curve: none
models on the market with this feature:
d) scroll wheels for vertical and horizontal scrolling built in the keyboard
explanation: helps distribute evenly the strain exerted on the pointing device
learning curve: minor
models on the market with this feature:
e) built-in additional keys for repetitively used commands such as copy, cut, paste, change keyboard layout, etc
explanation:
learning curve: minor
models on the market with this feature:
f) a number of additional keys for user-defined shortcuts
explanation:
learning curve: minor
models on the market with this feature:
g) free, open-source software for remapping keys, bundled with each piece of keyboard
explanation: this might encourage customers to try out allegedly ergonomic layouts or assign functions to keys related with a specific kind of input tasks
learning curve: minor
models on the market with this feature: none
h) a mechanism to make keycaps easy to unscrew or label for those who would like to try out an alternative keyboard layout
explanation:
learning curve:
models on the market with this feature: http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/optimus
similar suggestions from readers:
keycaps which are the same shape (not different shapes in each row).
explanation: this would allow users to re-arrange the keys in a different layout if they wished (such as the Dvorak simplified layout).
learning curve: none
models on the market with this feature: http://www.apple.com/keyboard
i) straight vertical lines of keys
explanation: touch-typing would be easier with straight lines
learning curve: minor to high for those already touch-typing
models on the market with this feature: http://www.typematrix.com
j) different placement, removal or other solution for keys such as Caps Lock, Scroll Lock, Insert, etc
explanation: the commands run by these keys are too rarely used to deserve a separate key on the learning
learning curve: minor
models on the market with this feature:
similar suggestions from readers:
Keep left-shift next to the Z key if at all possible… even on foreign layouts. If the extra key contains symbols (\ | on UK keyboards; < > on many foreign-language keyboards) find some other place to put it. (If the extra key contains a latter it may have to remain in the "usual" place).
explanation:This annoying extra key is a real pain when touch-typing. It makes it more of a stretch to the left shift key, which is a lot smaller and harder to hit.
learning curve: minor
models on the market with this feature:
Comments
There is one more item needed.
Please make keyboards with the "stroke directions" lined up for the directions the fingers actually move. On a standard keyboard, the right fingers will stroke up and to the left, or down and to the right, which is the direction that the keys run. However, the fingers on the left hand want to stroke up and to the right, but the keys for the left hand stroke up and to the left.
This may have made sense 100 years ago, when typewriters were first created. Given the new improvements in manufacturing over the last century, this no longer makes manufacturing sense, and never made body-mechanic sense.
Additionally, this will force the keyboard to be wider — in particular, it will force the "rest" or "home" position of the hands to be slightly farther apart, further helping body mechanics.
Finally, although "seperated" left and right half keyboards make a lot of sense — especially with "wave", curved/raised layouts, please please please duplicate the "b", "y", and "6" keys — currently "assigned" to finger strokes that are often easier to make from the other hand — on both sides of the keyboard. Thank you.