Derrick
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The first phone to run Google’s Android, HTC’s G1, is turning out to be a ‘lesson in failed ergonomics’ according to MG Siegler from Venture Beat.
The problem is the design of the keyboard.
According to Siegler all the main buttons are placed in an uncomfortable position, far beneath where your hands rest naturally, and the keys on the keyboard are spaced in such a way that the typing experience is ‘awkward’. Siegler has many more complaints, feel free to read it directly from the horses mouth to get the full picture. Or simply have a look at the device here.
It seems that this device may be better suited for men with larger fingers. Perhaps HTC have been listening to the members of their male audience who have larger than normal hands and decided to space out the digits for this crowd.
Siegler maintains that if you have ‘average’ size hands for a man or if you are a woman the G1’s keyboard makes for an awkward typing experience.
“As I said, I have what I’d consider average sized hands for a male, certainly some men with larger hands may be okay with this keyboard (though their undoubtedly larger digits will have trouble hitting the small keys), but men with smaller hands and most women will undoubtedly hate this keyboard,” said Siegler.
I don’t think it’s a bad thing for designers to start accommodating people of different shapes and sizes. Anyone with big fingers knows how uncomfortable it is to send an email or SMS on a keypad with tiny digits.
Perhaps mobile devices will become advanced enough in the near future to come in small, medium and large .
The problem is the design of the keyboard.
According to Siegler all the main buttons are placed in an uncomfortable position, far beneath where your hands rest naturally, and the keys on the keyboard are spaced in such a way that the typing experience is ‘awkward’. Siegler has many more complaints, feel free to read it directly from the horses mouth to get the full picture. Or simply have a look at the device here.
It seems that this device may be better suited for men with larger fingers. Perhaps HTC have been listening to the members of their male audience who have larger than normal hands and decided to space out the digits for this crowd.
Siegler maintains that if you have ‘average’ size hands for a man or if you are a woman the G1’s keyboard makes for an awkward typing experience.
“As I said, I have what I’d consider average sized hands for a male, certainly some men with larger hands may be okay with this keyboard (though their undoubtedly larger digits will have trouble hitting the small keys), but men with smaller hands and most women will undoubtedly hate this keyboard,” said Siegler.
I don’t think it’s a bad thing for designers to start accommodating people of different shapes and sizes. Anyone with big fingers knows how uncomfortable it is to send an email or SMS on a keypad with tiny digits.
Perhaps mobile devices will become advanced enough in the near future to come in small, medium and large .