International HCI-Standards on Keyboards and other Input Devices

Abstract

ISO 9241 “Ergonomic requirements for office work with visual display terminal (VDTs)” is a series of 17 standards which deals with various aspects of working with computers. Its parts 4 and 9 contain provisions on the design of input devices. Part 4 is dedicated to keyboards of conventional kind with a linear layout. Novel designs or improvements of existing devices may be tested with the alternative test method. Part 9 of ISO 9241 deals with the rest of input devices. It comprises basic principles for the design of input devices as generic goals, general design requirements and recommendations for all devices and specific requirements for specific devices. The standard specifies so-called task primitives which allow to measure the usability of a device and to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of its use as well as the satisfaction of the users' requirements.