Arrow Key Configuration on Laptops

Abstract

With the popularization of mobile devices, product design is adapting to the needs of mobility. Laptops are getting smaller, thus the keyboards on laptops are becoming smaller. Having a smaller keyboard means redesigning certain key configurations. A common key configuration that is often modified for the sake of keyboard size is the arrow keys. The most common arrow key configuration is the inverted-T, but the modified cross is being used on laptop keyboards more frequently due to its size and scalability. This study sought to understand how the modified cross performs against the well-known inverted-T in speed and accuracy. Also, we were interested in understanding the user experience and perceived performance with these two configurations. Although, the user rankings and preference ratings favored the inverted-T, we found that the performance of the modified cross was significantly faster than the inverted-T. There was no significant difference of the number of errors between the two configurations.