Keypad Usability Expert Designs for Faster Text Messaging

It can take all day to tap out a message or browse the Web on a cell phone, and fingers feel all thumbs. A Boston-based company recently introduced a keypad called the Fastap to remove the struggle — an ergonomic solution to a problem that is growing apace with the popularity of data features on the tiny devices. And the Fastap delivers other usability benefits.

The company is Digit Wireless. The Fastap creator and patent holder is David Levy, PhD, the founder and chief technology officer of the company. As reported on the company web site, the Fastap was designed to replace the slow and outmoded 12-key pad that has been a standard feature on mobile phones for decades. It’s slow because users have to tap numbers to enter letters. The Fastap is based on the 12-key design, but letters have their own keys and are interspersed between the number keys. The benefit? It’s a time saver because it’s an intuitive process.

The Ergonomics Report