Anyone that works in an office every day, such as I, becomes very efficient at rapidly using the number keypads on phones and computer keyboards.  Like a court reporter, your mind and hands don’t think in terms of and individual numbers, i.e. 3-0-3 – 4- 3-2, but rather your fingers deftly hit 303 as one mental thought, your mind processes, then dials the rest of the sequence.  Same concept for accounting on a 10 key number pad.

So why would the Hewlett Packard HP Laserjet 3055 Fax/Scanner/Copier keypad be designed in such a cumbersome and awkward manner? 

The rubbery, tiny, squishy buttons are RAISED up so high that your fingers need to push each one in such a heavy and deliberate way that it feels like the PLAY and EJECT buttons on an old tape machine.  Sending a fax shouldn’t require you to hover directly over the keypad and make an concerted effort to push each button.  Your fingers should flow gracefully and quickly over the keypad, as natural as a ballerina floating across the stage.

An example of more intelligent design is shown on my telephone keypad.  The two don’t appear to be that different, however the Meridian office phone, (a staple in offices everywhere), has nice big square buttons made of hard durable plastic, and as noted the buttons operate with one easy “click”, not shoving each one down to the circuit board.  I’ve spilled coffee on this Meridian phone countless times, and people are still able to call me.  I’ll need to try harder.