Why the difference between numeric keypads and phone keypads? Numeric keypad layouts mimic calculator layouts, which in turn, mimicked the original ‘adding mac

Why the difference between numeric keypads and phone keypads? Numeric keypad layouts mimic calculator layouts, which in turn, mimicked the original ‘adding machines’. The inventors of these early devices did not perform extensive user based testing (as it often the case in technology; early adopters end up creating standards that others follow, good or bad). The whole point of the article is the Bell labs undertook an extensive user based study to investigate which layouts might be better (Pretty much the first time this testing had been done on this issue). They tested both canonical forms of the (3x3)+1 layout and selected what we now know today as the telephone layout. (If I had to speculate as to why this layout performs slightly better than the calculator layout, I might suggest that, in the West, we read left->right and top->bottom and so this is the more natural numbering scheme). Had extensive testing been performed by the original adding machine developers, maybe both devices would use the same layout. Interestingly, the most creative benefit I’ve heard for keeping the calculator layout as it is, is because calculators are often used to sum up real world measurements, and these fall under to purview of Benford’s Law* Because of this, the keys which are more likely to be used as the leading digits are closer to the at-rest position of the hand and require less energy to move and press … yeah … I’m not convinced either, but it sounds good  * http://datagenetics.com/blog/march52012/index.html http://datagenetics.com/blog/march52012/index.html