Data entry: techniques for accommodating high speed keyboard

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by Eric Peachey >> Tue, 26 Jun 2001 5:20:32 GMT

Hello,

What approach do you take to building forms designed for bulk data entry using the keyboard?

Say you have a form that captures has several numeric fields and a 'Save' button. One approach would be to use the Enter key on the numeric keypad as a tab key to move between fields and the Enter key on the qwerty bit as the Enter key - to activate the default 'Save' button. Perhaps there's be some freeware or NT keyboard remapping software that would mean zero changes to the application to accommodate the above behaviour?

Or do you laboriously trap keyboard events on forms and process them according to the current context?

Any Windows UI gurus out there have any comments to make? The standard behaviour seems to be for Enter to activate a default button or for a new line in multi line text boxes. So would you build completely non-standard Windows behaviour (using function keys and changing the standard behaviour of the enter key etc.)? Just like the old days when everybody had their own ideas and no two applications worked in the same way.

Cheers,

Eric in Dunedin

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by Carl Ranson >> Wed, 27 Jun 2001 1:04:19 GMT

Hello,

What approach do you take to building forms designed for bulk data entry using the keyboard?

Say you have a form that captures has several numeric fields and a 'Save' button. One approach would be to use the Enter key on the numeric keypad as a tab key to move between fields and the Enter key on the qwerty bit as the Enter key - to activate the default 'Save' button. Perhaps there's be some freeware or NT keyboard remapping software that would mean zero changes to the application to accommodate the above behaviour?

Or do you laboriously trap keyboard events on forms and process them according to the current context?

Its not too hard to hook into the keyboard handler under windows and remap keypresses. I pretty sure I have delphi code to do this somewhere.

I don't see why it should be necessary to go to such lengths though. You could do it better by just implement your own control types in jade that support what ever mapping you're using. (I would suggest the plus & minus keys as they don't have any current windows meaning except for in tree controls, but it's not an argument I want to get into)

Any Windows UI gurus out there have any comments to make? The standard behaviour seems to be for Enter to activate a default button or for a new line in multi line text boxes. So would you build completely non-standard Windows behaviour (using function keys and changing the standard behaviour of the enter key etc.)? Just like the old days when everybody had their own ideas and no two applications worked in the same way.

I don't think theres any easy answer to this one...a lot of it depends on the end users...If they're hardcore data entry people, then theres probably enough resistance to using tabs that it's worth breaking the rules.

Cheers,
CR

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by Wilfred Verkley >> Wed, 27 Jun 2001 1:27:27 GMT

Any Windows UI gurus out there have any comments to make? The standard behaviour seems to be for Enter to activate a default button or for a new line in multi line text boxes. So would you build completely non-standard Windows behaviour (using function keys and changing the standard behaviour of the enter key etc.)? Just like the old days when everybody had their own ideas and no two applications worked in the same way.

I wouldnt go that far. "Enter" is the default behaviour to active the default button, but many "standard" applications use to advance to the next data field as well i.e. MS-Excel. I would normally stick to "Tab" to advance to the next control especially if its just standard alpaha-numeric data, but for fast entry of numeric information, "enter" is might a good idea since the data-entry person can solely use the numeric keypad.

You normally need a good reason to deviate from standard guidelines because breaking them means a steeper learning curve for your user. I think Alan Cooper made the argument however that if your application is their "main" application then you can implement your own guidelines according to what best suites them.


Wilfred.

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by CarlRanson >> Tue, 9 Jul 2002 22:35:21 GMT

You normally need a good reason to deviate from standard guidelines because breaking them means a steeper learning curve for your user. I think Alan Cooper made the argument however that if your application is their "main" application then you can implement your own guidelines according to what best suites them.

Yes, Alan Cooper, in "About Face: The Essentials of User Interface Design" (ISBN: 1568843224)
In the chapter that talks about the 4 postures of applications, Sovereign, Transient, Daemonic and Parasitic.

A very worthwhile book. I highly recommend it.
CR

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by mxw >> Tue, 9 Jul 2002 10:00:46 GMT

It doesn't specifically address your question, but have a look a the registerFormKeys method on the Form class. You can use this to register interest in specific keys (e.g. Enter) and only those registered key events are sent to the form for special handing.

Regards,
Mike W