With today’s more sophisticated users and complex software, the need for tools that can adapt to creators’ needs is growing higher as well. Full keyboards don’t have enough space for individual shortcuts, even those with a numeric keypad attached. It’s also quite tedious to memorize all those unrelated key combos, which is why gadgets like the Stream Deck have become quite popular with their programmable buttons.
These devices, however, don’t offer the same tactile experience as actual physical controls, and that’s the unique selling point of this concept design for a modular numeric keypad. On its own, it functions normally for fast access to numbers, but with the right parts, it can turn into a sound mixer, brush size dial, and more, adapting to whatever you need to get the job done.
Designer: Benjamin Fryc x Work Louder
For some desktop users, the numeric keypad or numpad has become an optional and almost useless part of the keyboard. They prefer to use more compact wireless keyboards to save space or offer more flexibility in where you want to move it on your desk. That is until they realize they need even more keys to keep up with all the keyboard shortcuts for the apps they use.
The KNOB numpad is a design concept that not only brings that numeric keypad, which you can use for those keyboard shortcuts but also adds more control options for an even better user experience. Mashing a single key repeatedly to increase or decrease Photoshop’s brush size isn’t as satisfying as turning a knob, and scrubbing through a video timeline feels more intuitive with a dial. A slider is also a better interface for raising or lowering levels than, you guessed it, a keyboard shortcut.
Best of all, the concept doesn’t force you to commit to having these interfaces on your desk all the time. Just like a wireless numpad that you can stash in a drawer when no longer needed, the magnetic modules can be attached and removed as needed, depending on what you’re working on. Even better, the wireless and modular design lets you place the device on either side of the keyboard, allowing for ambidextrous use.
The KNOB numpad comes with an aesthetic similar to the designs you see from Teenage Engineering or Work Louder. The silver brushed metal surface gives it that industrial appearance, while the orange accents add some points of visual interest to the design. It’s definitely a concept we’d like to see on store shelves, especially with more modular numeric keypad ideas sprouting recently.
