Re: A product design project

Awesome! I've always wanted to do something similar, and I've thought about
it a bit, but I haven't come up with any precise idea. One idea that I heard
about a while ago was integrating it into a touch screen, which would allow
very natural pointing, typing and viewing. It would be something better than
an on-screen keyboard. I don't especially like my DataHand; it's better than
everything else I've used, but that doesn't say much.

The point about buyers being lazy reminds me of AC Mandal's work with
chairs. Have you read any of his papers or his book? A main problem with
ergonomics in general is that people don't want to change their ways because
their old habits are too strong. (Anyone who wants to see an awesome example
of this phenomenon, read
this<http://www.premus2007.org/abstracts/serratosperez-j1.pdf>,
especially the last sentence of the results section.)

I previously considered doing something like what you're doing for chairs,
but that's (1) sort of been answered and (2) much more difficult because
there are stronger cultural ideas about working postures. It should be much
easier to encourage people to change their ideas about keyboards because
they are relatively new.

Thomas Levine

On Nov 15, 2007 7:57 AM, matzkelon <[email protected]> wrote:

>   Hello people.
>
> I am an Industrial Designer working on my diploma project.
> My subject is a text-entry alternative product.
>
> So far, my initial research covered existing products and methods for
> text entry, and my conclusions should not surprise the lot of you.
> I have covered about five or more methods of text entry (I would dare
> not limit myself to depressing keys), the QWERTY hell and the lacking
> products in the category of "Alternative Keyboards".
>
> The common buyer is a lazy one. Unless a person has to, he will not
> dare sit and learn a new method - or even a better layout. This caused
> the market to drift to people who have suffered injuries and issues
> due extensive typing and may not be able to go on using a normal keyboard.
>
> In such a market, products are dealt with as "ergonomic products" in a
> fashion similar to orthopedic shoes. They are not desirable like
> common sexy products and never breach the barrier to the global market
> outside the health-related consumer crowd.
>
> Based on the fact that the market size is so small, the products are
> not as refined or of high quality like their gaming product peers. The
> gaming market is much larger and only there we see quality materials
> and machining, refined ergonomics and efficiency - in a word, good
> designs. Good designs are made available through large-scale production.
>
> As of today, a lot of research was made to find alternative methods
> for typing and solving ergonomic problems - they just never got to
> manifest in quality products. Even the DataHand which I see mentioned
> everywhere I go has a lot of problems and it was not refined since
> more than a few years (please correct me if I am wrong. I am only just
> dipping into the subject).
>
> As a project beginning in an academic frame, I can allow myself to set
> free of these limitations and design a project focused on an
> efficient, desirable product made for large-scale production and to a
> global market - fitting both people who suffer from current keyboards
> and people who think ahead and are not suffering yet.
>
> This document is more of less my introduction to you and an
> introduction of my project. I would be delighted to have you support
> me in my research. I would love to have your feedback and plan on
> asking the community some questions soon. Your response could very
> well make a difference as design projects (especially academic) are
> covered extensively in blogs and magazines.
>
> Thank you very much!
> I hope I did not wear you out entirely.
> -Eyal M.
>
>  
>


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