Ergonomic keyboard design

The design of keyboards is still characterized by that of mechanical typewriters. This paper presents a summary of a research project dealing with the ergonomic improvement of keyboards, carried out at the IAO in Stuttgart during the past five years. Extensive laboratory evaluation of experimental keyboards, where different design parameters were tested under real life conditions, have produced a relative optimum regarding ergonomic keyboard design. An accompanying investigation of user acceptance evaluated all realized parameters. In co-operation with a keyboard manufacturer, the results were used to design a marketable product, which may be seen as an important contribution to ergonomic keyboard design.