
Your keyboard is an essential piece of hardware. The characteristics of a good keyboard are clear legibility, logical functions and a comfortable keystroke. The same rule that applies to using a mouse also applies to using a keyboard: give your hands frequent breaks (every ten minutes or so).
The keyboard: The horizontal and vertical distance of the keys should be at least 19 mm. While typing, the keys should produce feedback that can be clearly felt and/or heard. A compact keyboard reduces the distance you have to cover to reach your mouse.
If a keyboard does not provide sufficient feedback, users have a tendency to hit the keys up to 3.9 times harder than necessary. Doing so can lead to physical discomfort in the lower arms and hands (Feuerstein, 1997, Gerard, 1996, 1999). Furthermore, it makes the user more prone to making mistakes, thereby reducing their productivity (Feuerstein, 1997, Yoshitake, 1995).
Compact keyboards (keyboards without a numpad, yet with a key spacing similar to standard keyboards) reduce the distance you have to cover to reach your mouse (Cook, 1998), they reduce the strain on your lower arms and users generally find them more comfortable than standard keyboards (Van Lingen, 2003). A compact keyboard is a worthy alternative to a full-size keyboard. If you frequently have to enter numerical data, you can use a separate numerical keyboard or a compact keyboard that does include a numpad.
A well-shaped keyboard can contribute to the prevention of physical discomfort (Moore and Swanson, 2003) because the posture of the user's lower arms and wrists is better (Riezebos, 1997).