Human Factors in Keypad Design

A series of studies is reported in which a number of human factors considerations were investigated in the design of a keypad entry system for Telidon public access terminals. Initial studies evaluated subjects' preferences with simulated keypads upon which subjects performed simulated Telidon tasks. Subsequently, working prototypes were developed of the two most preferred keypads. User performance and preference were evaluated in a series of field studies. It was found that preference measures for the prototypes closely approximated data derived using the simulations, indicating validity of this inexpensive method of design testing.