The Importance Of Proper Keypad Interface Design

Today's electronic equipment has a wide range of interface options

. Custom keypads allow engineers nearly unlimited possibilities in control design, however those possibilities can lead to problems if the interface is not carefully examined.

Simple Example: 10-Digit Keypad

Even the basic 10-digit keypad is actually an example of custom keypads. Why? Look at your phone then look at your computer. Both of them use 10-digit keypads and yet they are upside down in relation to each other. People who use both are almost never confused. In fact most people who regularly use both telephones and computer numeric keypads are surprised when someone points out they are different.

That is because we learn very quickly which is which and don't even notice they are different. If your machine uses a 10-digit keypad, you will need to consider whether your users are going to view it as a phone-like device or a computer-like device. If you put a computer keypad on a phone device, you will have a lot of angry users.

The Importance Of Prototyping

The example above is a perfect illustration of why custom keypads should always go through a prototype phase. An interface design that looks great on paper might be a disaster in real life. Only through in-person, hands-on testing can you be sure your interface design is a winner.

Prototypes can be produced quickly and easily allowing manufacturers to create a mockup of the final device. They can quickly see how easy controls are to reach, how convenient they are to use, if the feel of the keys is right and so on.

Prototypes should be tested internally at first to fix the most glaring flaws, but should always be tested at some point by potential customers. Your staff already knows how the equipment should work. By putting it in the hands of a new user, you find just how intuitive your custom keypads are.

A Nearly Tragic Example Of Poor Design

In a May 6, 2004 newsletter of the Institute for Safe Medicine Practices a glaring example of poorly designed custom keypads was given. They reported problems with IV pumps that had a decimal point key located near the zero key.

Several cases had been reported of nurses accidentally hitting zero instead of decimal. For example a dosage of 1.5 ml/hour could become 105 ml/hour! Luckily, the errors were apparently noticed before any harm came to the patients. A simple design change such as moving the decimal point away from numeric keys would have made the IV pumps safer.

Even if your equipment doesn't have the potential for harm that a poorly designed IV pump has, you still need to consider carefully the design of custom keypads. If nothing else, a confusing interface will lead to frustrated clients who might buy from your competitor next time.

by: Christine Harrell

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