KeyRight: Colour Coding the Computer Keyboard

The computer keyboard is a vital input device, yet, in its present form has a flawed design. It is overwhelming due to its large number of visually similar keys, which are insufficiently distinguishable and insufficiently able to be grouped for memorising. The traditional method of learning correct fingering (and, ultimately, touch typing) is unnecessarily difficult. It is not suitable for experienced keyboard users who have learned in an ad hoc fashion. The mouse has been a partial solution to difficulties with the keyboard. Unfortunately, overuse of the mouse causes a drop in productivity. The keyboard needs rehabilitation as an input device, so that • Users can more easily gain the motor skills for efficient data entry and • It is not perceptually overwhelming and therefore of limited use as an input device. A set of colours for the keys, one for each finger, enable users to group the keys for memorising and provide an alternative facility for learning correct fingering. The rainbow colours, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet form a universally familiar colour pattern. The colours are interrelated, form a complete set and are seven in number. These properties make them ideal as an aid to memory and understanding. The KeyRight keyboard is a successful implementation of this concept, introducing significant enhancements to the computer keyboard as an input device. Software can further encourage users to use the keyboard if it colours keystroke prompts to match a coloured keyboard. Displaying equivalent keystrokes during and after a mouse operation is an alternative method of teaching users about access keys and shortcut keys. There are strong psychological arguments for use of this method. KeyRight: Colour Coding the Computer Keyboard 2 Some problems with input devices By any psychological standards of user interface, the keyboard in its present form has significant deficiencies. The mouse has made a big difference for beginning computer users, but has limitations and ultimately reduces productivity. If the keyboard were a new product, would you buy one? Imagine that I want to sell you a new input device that I have invented. I tell you that it will be fundamental to your computer use. To use it properly, you must memorise the position, by touch, of 100 keys, so that you can use the device without looking. Moreover, during your sessions of learning to use this device, you must not look at it. The keys are each marked with a different symbol, spatially grouped to some extent, but otherwise identical and placed close together in rows. Are you impressed? Try the latest input device– the Keyboard • 103 keys, each clearly marked with a symbol • Has a major group of 58 keys • Keys are best used with certain fingers • Best learnt and used without looking • Often shows feedback on the computer screen • Great for people who know what they are doing • Uses the historic QWERTY legend, in keeping with international convention Buy one today and increase your productivity! KeyRight: Colour Coding the Computer Keyboard 3 The keyboard as a flawed user interface Today's keyboard has an unfortunate history. Rather that compensating for this, the keyboard breaks basic rules for effective human visual perception, organisation and recall. The QWERTY heritage In this paper we are not going to complain about the QWERTY keyboard legend, which is most likely here to stay. For those who don't know its history, the QWERTY legend was designed to slow down typing. Early typewriters jammed if you typed too quickly. Everyone agrees that this is a disaster and also that it would be difficult to change. Other design flaws The other keyboard design faults centre around its 'complex blandness'. The keyboard is visually bland and the keys are only partly grouped Any elementary psychology text will tell you that, in general, humans can only remember or communicate about seven things at a time. Miller (1956) found that we can remember about seven things ('chunks') at a time, but that, once we are very familiar with the components of an entity, we start treating the entity as one 'chunk' (e.g., a group of letters becomes a word). Take a look at a keyboard. Apart from the symbols, the keys look identical. The largest spatial group of keys has 58 keys undistinguished except for their symbol. The standard keyboard provides us with no visual basis on which we can start forming 'chunks'. There are no aids for searching or remembering Undiversified masses of stimuli often at least have signposts or mnemonic aids to help you navigate. Keyboards have nothing that directs you in your search for a key or helps you remember a key's position. Result of design flaws The keyboard design flaws make it hard to initially learn and hard to develop further abilities. Overwhelm for beginners To a new user, 100 similar keys mostly with few signposts can only be described as overwhelming. Functional fixedness preventing further skill development Functional fixedness is the "inability to perceive better ways of performing tasks and to realise that objects have functions other than the familiar ones" (Whitcroft 1998a). The blandness of the keyboard discourages the exploration that is an antidote to functional fixedness. Whitcroft found an experienced touch typist who had not noticed the right-hand SHIFT key, and another who had not noticed the INSERT DELETE HOME END PAGE UP PAGE DOWN keypad. He also tells an anecdote about a sports car with unmarked gearstick. The owner was dismayed to learn that the car had a fifth gear. (Whitcroft 1998b). KeyRight: Colour Coding the Computer Keyboard 4 Why is the keyboard design so visually bland? Why does the keyboard break these psychological rules? An important reason is the diehard industry convention that you aren't meant to look at it. Aspiring to touch type Learning or failing to learn to touch type, or even to use correct fingering, is currently a major boredom, challenge or regret. It involves hard work. Do people type without looking at the keyboard? How many extra keys has the keyboard acquired since typewriters? There are about fifty. Who looks at it? Everyone does. Whitcroft (1995) examined the keyboard use of a large number of users and gave up looking for people who did not look at the keyboard. Learning correct keying the hard way Learning correct keying by memorising the position of keys without looking at them is a time-honoured tradition. Is it effective? Many people do, of course, master this. For those that learn to type rapidly without using the correct fingers, however, the path to touch typing is very difficult. Beginning typists do not naturally use the correct fingers. an instructor must direct them to do it. Learning correct keying and then to touch type is rather an ordeal for anyone. Many do not succeed. The mouse– has it become a drag? It is no wonder that the mouse was invented to help avoid using the keyboard. This has been successful to a great extent. More people can certainly learn to use computers more easily. The mouse, unfortunately, lowers productivity for people after they have learnt what to do. Most software provides keyboard alternatives where possible. If you aren't motivated to use the keyboard, what use is that? KeyRight: Colour Coding the Computer Keyboard 5 Colour coding for the user interface Colour coding to help people perform tasks and use software and equipment is not a new idea. Patterns are also very useful for organising, learning and remembering. Colour and pattern can make a powerful user interface combination if the combination is meaningful. The most universally known colour pattern is the spectral sequence (rainbow colours). WordPerfect 5.1: a little colour went a long way Do you remember WordPerfect 5.1, one of the most popular word processors in history? An important element in its popularity was its function key system. Touch typists could feasibly extend their abilities to the 45 function keystrokes and control the entire package without touching a mouse. In the author's opinion, the small amount of colour coding was an important factor in the system's popularity. What WordPerfect 5.1 user can forget green for SHIFT, blue for ALT and red for CTRL? This colour system only went a short way, yet demonstrated how powerful colour can be at demystifying the keyboard.