Is the Qwerty keyboard a poor design?
ANS: When invented in 1878, it was a good design for the mechanical typewriter because it achieved its purpose of slowing the typist to prevent typebars from jamming. In these days of the electronic keyboard, its design is obsolete. The professionals who were typing in those days – typists and secretaries – didn’t mind the suffering and struggle of Qwerty, but everyone is typing on keyboards today and a good design is one that gives priority to human needs for ease, efficiency and comfort.
