One of the greatest experiences for me when moving from Android to Windows Phone was how much better the keyboard felt under my thumbs. Microsoft spent a massive amount of time and attention on perfecting its mobile keyboard, so it’s no doubt that the company wanted to make sure they got the Windows 8 keyboard right as well. Research for this keyboard ranged from ergonomic trials to adaptive key layouts.
The first step in the process was identifying common positions users will hold the tablet in and then tweaking key size and layout according to these positions so that keys will be reachable no matter how the tablet is held. Other details that were highly researched include haptic feedback and eye tracking to determine where people spent more time looking when using the touch keyboard. The company even spent time making sure that the keyboard can account for differences in keystroke angles for keys that are further away from home row.
[via Microsoft Blog]
