OUGD504 - Studio Brief 02 - Key Design Elements: Keyboard

Another key element to design for is the keyboard for users to input their details into the booking system. Since the interface would make use of google maps as part of the interactive map feature, it was decided to look at the layout and style of default google keyboards integrated into android mobiles and other interactive devices, such as tablets. These all followed a pretty standard layout which make use of the traditional qwerty layout for keyboards, initially designed to slow typists down due to problems whereby mechanical typewriters would jam if the keys were hit too hard. For this reason, the most commonly used letters were placed furthest apart. It was decided that the use of this traditional layout would help with ease of use since it is another element which users would be most familiar and comfortable with.

In designing this element of the interface, it was decided to use Helvetica Light with a 0.25 point stoke size since the typeface is known for it's clarity in the communication of information. This means users will be able to clearly distinguish letterforms in order to accurate input their information into the system.

Initially, each letterform was placed within square boxes allowing the letterforms to be even more distinguishable in their separation, as well as helping with the accuracy of typing since it is clearly communicated exactly where the user needs to press to input the desired letterform.

It was decided to continue working with this frame in further developments of the keyboard, however it was considered that the squared nature of these seem quite harsh. In order to make the user experience as comfortable as possible and put the users at ease if they are in the situation where they have no phone or cash to get to where they need to be, it was decided to manipulate this shape slightly by rounding off the corners of each square to communicate a softer nature. This squared-off shape of each frame also creates consistency throughout the rest of the interface design, since it has been decided that other framed elements would use similar shapes, for instance the search bar, in order to continue the communication of a more comfortable user experience. The keyboard would also utilise the same final colour scheme as the rest of the interface in order to continue with it's consistency. The use of brighter colours would hopefully emit a happier feeling to the user which can help put them more at ease.