For almost 20 years, practitioners and researchers have been using the System Usability Scale (SUS) as a "quick and dirty" method of evaluating the usability of different websites, software, and other human-machine systems. The characteristics of the SUS (e.g., reliability, number of scales, etc.) have been widely discussed in the literature but there have been little written about how the results of the SUS relate to traditional usability results (likely due primarily to these results being proprietary). In this study, eight different usability studies were used to make a direct comparison between the SUS and usability results. A significant but small relation was found between these two scores suggesting that the SUS may be a valid measure to ordinally compare two or more systems.

No abstract

There are many different types of keyboards available for use. However, the mechanical keyboard is becoming more popular with enthusiast computer users. Vendors and users alike proclaim that they provide increased typing speeds and that less physical effort is required to activate the keyswitches due to the additional tactile and auditory feedback from the keyswitch design. This study investigates words per minute (WPM), error percentage, and surface electromyography (EMG) of the flexor arm muscle activity during a typing task using a membrane and mechanical keyboard. Results showed statistical significance with both flexor muscles exerting less effort on a mechanical keyboard. Advantages were not limited the mechanical keyboard with WPM revealing greater typing speeds with the standard membrane keyboard.

No abstract