Revisit the Keyboard

September 13, 2012

Posted By:  D24Lew

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Status: Archived

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The qwerty layout dates back to the late 1800's and was designed to intentionally spread out commonly used letters so as to prevent key jams on a typewriter.

While it is unclear as to a consensus on the optimal key arrangement for speed typing, the qwerty system clearly wasn't chosen for that reason. It was originally designed by Remington's mechanics to remedy an issue with the product itself, and didn't truly have the consumer in mind. As technology advanced, computers, tablets, etc. all adopted the same layout simply because it was what consumers were familiar with.

I think it would be interesting to see Dell research the best possible layout for computer keys. If there is a better design available, why not make it an option for consumers that are interested in/require speed typing.

I see this as a possible gamechanger for Dell; they could possibly revolutionize the computer and offer a superior product by improving the consumer's productivity.

Obviously a change like this would be met with a lot of resistance from the lay consumer, which is why it is something I would consider researching and possibly rolling out on a small, optional scale. This idea could definitely benefit from the niche of early-adopting tech-savvy individuals that are always looking to be at the forefront of what is new.

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  • Sep 16, 2012     Comment Link

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    Posted By:
    expatinasia

    The QWERTY keyboard is the industry-standard, and developing a non-standard keyboard layout would be disastrous.
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  • Sep 14, 2012     Comment Link

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    Posted By: Teamcouth

    I very much agree with you on how inefficient the QWERTY keyboard is. I myself attempted to switch to a Dvorak keyboard (optimized based on letter usage) and unfortunately found it almost impossible.

    Thus i don't think this idea is a feasible one for Dell to work on. Customer acceptance rate would be incredibly low, even among those, like myself, who lament the QWERTY. I don't think the market is attractive enough considering you would have to find individuals who hated QWERTY enough to seek out an alternative, relearn a new system, and continue to use qwerty elsewhere in their phones and on public or work computers.

    However, let me know if you decide to make a national campaign for gradually switching to the DVORAK or other innovative keyboard, as I will happily support it.