If I wanted to make the most easily readable keyboard what colorscheme would be best?
Do color coded modifiers improve accessibility? Would a font like Open Dyslexic https://www.opendyslexic.org improve the readability of keycap legends?
I've seen a lot of IDE colorschemes used for GMK keysets, but I'm wondering if that used of color actually improves usability (or is it just stylish?)
Just a lot of questions I guess. I'm hoping to learn more than the "maximize contrast" I hear thrown around.
Best font + color scheme to maximize keyboard readability?
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jsheradin
- Location: USA
Some of the commonly available 'high contrast' sets are just black text on bright yellow with large letters. It would really depend on the person what's most readable though; max contrast isn't always the best option.
Some forms of sight/reading impairments benefit from different color schemes. A common dyslexia friendly scheme is dark blue on pale cream while Irlen syndrome is more inconsistent between people (I think black on light green is common, brown on light purple worked great for my roomate). There's whole fields of people who dedicate their lives to studying this stuff. You can find tons of published papers out there.
Some forms of sight/reading impairments benefit from different color schemes. A common dyslexia friendly scheme is dark blue on pale cream while Irlen syndrome is more inconsistent between people (I think black on light green is common, brown on light purple worked great for my roomate). There's whole fields of people who dedicate their lives to studying this stuff. You can find tons of published papers out there.
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Rayndalf
- Location: Texas
- Main keyboard: Kinesis Model 130
- Main mouse: Logitech M-S48, Razer Viper
- Favorite switch: MX Browns
- DT Pro Member: -
Dark blue on pale cream similar to the original Kinesis Advantage?jsheradin wrote: 29 Jan 2021, 23:36 Some of the commonly available 'high contrast' sets are just black text on bright yellow with large letters. It would really depend on the person what's most readable though; max contrast isn't always the best option.
Some forms of sight/reading impairments benefit from different color schemes. A common dyslexia friendly scheme is dark blue on pale cream while Irlen syndrome is more inconsistent between people (I think black on light green is common, brown on light purple worked great for my roomate). There's whole fields of people who dedicate their lives to studying this stuff. You can find tons of published papers out there.
I personally enjoy that colorscheme and find it a great middle ground between OG beige and black on white. Do you think that color coding modifiers (similar to Desko modifiers for example) would help?
I guess I really need to track down some proper research papers.
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HuBandiT
- Location: Budapest, Hungary
- Main keyboard: notebook built-in with goodness between G, H and B
- Main mouse: pointing stick with a red dot, between G, H and B
- Favorite switch: (newbie - jury is still out)
- DT Pro Member: 0123
If I recall correctly, Wyszecki & Stiles has some info on visibility and readability – granted it is not the newest source, but if you can find it in your local library, it is worth a read.
This is what I put together for my elderly father to improve contrast and navigation over his previous, run of the mill, light gray lettering on black keys keyboard, used in a dimly lit room:
Font is Segoe UI (to have unambiguous letter forms), in a heavy weight (to have better contrast). Blocks are coloured to provide visual anchors/cues for easier navigation.
He reports a much better usability, his computer usage improved a lot. Probably the biggest factor was the better contrast afforded by the white keys with black lettering. But I assume the colourful landscape also helps: with the previous one he had issues with modifiers and hotkey combinations and tried to do everything wastefully with a mouse, but with the new keyboard he gradually started adopting modifiers and hotkeys.
This is what I put together for my elderly father to improve contrast and navigation over his previous, run of the mill, light gray lettering on black keys keyboard, used in a dimly lit room:
- P1040979.jpg (386.04 KiB) Viewed 1622 times
He reports a much better usability, his computer usage improved a lot. Probably the biggest factor was the better contrast afforded by the white keys with black lettering. But I assume the colourful landscape also helps: with the previous one he had issues with modifiers and hotkey combinations and tried to do everything wastefully with a mouse, but with the new keyboard he gradually started adopting modifiers and hotkeys.