Mouse Physical Affordances

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Designs of computer mice vary drastically, but one common thing that the peripherals tend to share is the design efforts made to make them ergonomic and easy to use. Making mice ergonomic is a difficult task to take on as different people have different preferences and needs, yet the designers of the mouse above seem to have done a pretty good job. The mouse above was designed for right handed people and that aspect can easily be identified by looking at the shape of the sides of the mouse. The left side is indented in such a way that is comfortable for the users thumb. Buttons are also set up on the left side to make them easily accessible.

These qualities found on the mouse can also be considered physical affordances. Physical shape design tells users that this mouse is meant to be held in your hand and not just any hand; your right hand. The buttons on the left are meant to be clicked on using your right thumb. Once you put your hand on this mouse, you will find that your other fingers just fall into place. One finger falls on each one of the mouse triggers.

Not everything on the mouse can be understood just by looking at its physical qualities though. For example, the scroll wheel on this mouse has a click that isn’t identified by any physical marker. Maybe there is still some room left for improvement in the computer peripheral field.

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