Design Approach This project aimed to help individuals without hands or strong mobility and dexterity in their hands, as typing can be extremely difficult or painful, and only some options exist for them outside of speech-to-text. Furthermore, some individuals, such as the user above, struggle with auditory or verbal issues, further inhibiting their ability to type. An individual without hands would be specially adapted to using a foot keyboard, as they often have to rely on their feet to complete tasks that would normally be done with hands. Of course, most clients would have to adapt to typing with their feet and locating keys on the keyboard. Ideally, clients would be able to adjust to the keyboard and type without having to look down at the keys, which could cause pain or strain in the neck. To hasten this process and aid the user in typing, key-specific bumps and ridges were added to the physical buttons, allowing the user to learn key locations based on physical touch and memorization of keys that come with practice. These keys would be similar to the ridges (homing bars) found on the ‘F’ and ‘J’ keys on most QWERTY keyboards, called position keys (Hrnjicevic, I. 2024). Using bars and other physical markings on the keys would help the user increase their efficiency and decrease the time it takes to memorize the keys by learning touch typing, where the user can locate keys relative to the marked keys. It is important to note that typing with feet has its own complications compared to typing with a traditional keyboard. For one, toes are much shorter and have less dexterity than fingers, which would make it harder to reach keys and have control over which key to press. To accommodate this, our keyboard would have significantly larger keys and be more horizontally aligned than traditional keys. One proposed idea is to have multiple extra keys, similar to the “command” or “option” keys, allowing the user to make various combinations to get a different output, reducing the total number of required keys. For example, instead of having separate keys for the letters “A,” “B,” and “C,” they could all be contained in a single key, where “A” is achieved by pressing the key alone, “B” results from pressing the key and the first option key at the same time, and “C” results from combining the key with the second option key. Another analogy for this mechanism is the modern “Shift” key, where one hand holds down the “Shift” button and the other presses the desired key to achieve the uppercase letter. In our model, one foot could press the option button while the other presses the specific key to achieve the desired letter. This system would allow for fewer required keys on the board, thus making up for the decreased dexterity and mobility in the toes. However, one complication with this design is that it would require a more significant learning curve as the user would have to memorize various combinations of keys. Another limitation of this design is that the user would likely have to remove their shoes and socks to type, which could be awkward or difficult to use in public. For this reason, the product was designed more for at-home use, where the user can comfortably be barefoot. It is also essential to have adequate support for the feet so that the user can easily rest and type comfortably for long periods. To make the keyboard comfortable for the user, our prototype includes an inclined keyboard structure to feel more natural and allows the user to rest their feet on the keyboard when not typing gently. Additionally, the keyboard consists of a “heel rest” below the main keyboard structure. The user can place their heels for more outstanding foot support, which makes it easier to slide across the keyboard when reaching for different keys. One last limitation of the design is that people have different foot sizes, so some features, such as the heel rest or even the physical keys, would have to be adjusted for individuals with smaller or larger foot sizes.

Problem Statement While typing may seem second nature to most, it can be extremely difficult or even impossible for individuals suffering from hand mobility issues or those without hands. For these individuals, modern advancements in speech-to-text may serve as a strong secondary option; however, manual typing may allow for higher accuracy, speed, and more control over what is being written. Additionally, it can be frustrating to speak your thoughts out loud constantly, and some people may prefer manual typing over having to rely on more technology and programs. Especially for the elderly, to whom technology may not come naturally, it can be complex and confusing to learn how to use applications like speech-to-text. In contrast, most people are much more familiar with a traditional keyboard. Disorders that can cause extreme mobility issues in the arms and hands include carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, tenosynovitis (trigger finger), Dupuytren’s disease, ganglion cysts, and more (“5 common hand disorders and their treatments,” 2020). In the United States alone, 53.2 million people, or 21.2% of all adults, reported arthritis in 2013, and it is one of the leading causes of work disability (“Arthritis,” 2023). Arthritis can cause joint pain, making it hard to perform everyday tasks without pain. Common forms of arthritis, such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriatic arthritis, usually target joints in the hand and wrist (“Arthritis of the hand,” 2021). For many individuals suffering from these diseases, typing can be an excruciating and daunting task, leaving them to rely heavily on speech-to-text applications, which can sometimes be frustrating and inaccurate. StepKeys was developed to address an issue that millions of Americans face in our world today. Our goal was to assist individuals suffering from hand mobility issues or those without hands to type on a keyboard efficiently and pain-free.