Theodore+Muir3

Keyboards and the Process of Design
Typewriters first began production in 1873. I would love to see the faces of its creators if they could see what has become of their product. The typewriter has persisted through the times and became the model for the computer peripheral known as the keyboard. The evolution of the computer keyboard is a great example of the process of design.

Design can be defined as “an adaptation of means to a preconceived end” and is present in all things. Good design is characterized by the efficiency and practicality of the object as it relates to its purpose. There are several elements of design present in the keyboard and researchers are constantly looking to improve upon its design.

Once a tool strictly used for typing long before the idea of personal computers, the design of the typewriter has become the premise for one of the most essential items in our culture almost 130 years after its inception. The keyboard continues to be redesigned following technological advances and our personal needs but it will always maintain the identity of early typewriters. The evolution of the keyboard perfectly illustrates the characteristics of good design; finding the most efficient and practical way of fulfilling the object’s purpose.