Poll: Which layout do you prefer?
This poll is closed.
Layout a) 64.58% 31 64.58%
Layout b) 35.42% 17 35.42%
Total 48 votes 100%
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A sweet little poll about the WP 31S layout
04-15-2014, 12:18 PM (This post was last modified: 04-15-2014 01:19 PM by Manolo Sobrino.)
Post: #19
RE: A sweet little poll about the WP 31S layout
It's odd that people are judging these layouts just by their looks. You should look at other things, more important and which you realise after some years of use. For instance, finger (and eye) travel and logical groupings/coupling of functions.

For instance, the layout a) has for it that it has the same first row of many HP calcs. Looks nice until you realise that some basic functions are more distant to ENTER and the numpad than they should/could. Which makes that some less used functions are closer. But I won't criticise a), that's not what I was/am looking after...

Layout b) for instance tries to minimise the travel from the more frequently used catalogues in numeric calculations to the arrows, that's where you're going after hitting them. And you are going to use MORE a lot, then arrows, it's optimum place is just there. There are several contiguous calculators in b) that nevertheless work together, depending on your particular use you might ignore whole areas, making it faster to operate.

I've tried to think about every key and optimise the position of all of them for global and particular use. Other example: at b) if you are entering statistical 1D data then the mean and the standard deviation are next to the key you're using all the time, then all the statistical variables are under STAT, and the parameters related to statistical dispersion are under DSTR. Legends have been shortened to 4 characters because then CLEAR, which does something different and should stand out, is the only one with 5... There are reasons for everything, it's not just aesthetics. I believe that form should follow function BTW.

I think it's nice to have a poll about them, thank you Walter. But let's not fool us. You can't design or even choose a good layout without using it first. You should test these things for some time with emulator versions and then choose/suggest alternatives.
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Messages In This Thread
RE: A sweet little poll about the WP 31S layout - Manolo Sobrino - 04-15-2014 12:18 PM
Poll result and a new question - walter b - 04-19-2014, 09:19 PM
Here we go! - walter b - 04-21-2014, 02:34 PM



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