Design and functional evaluation of a novel external logger for computer input activities

This study presents a novel external device for quantifying accurately keyboard and mouse usage with a high input rate for prolonged periods. Three experimental tasks were performed to determine the effectiveness of the proposed logger. All mouse and keyboard activities were recorded simultaneously using the logger and WorkPace software. Ten university students typed on a keyboard, moved and clicked a mouse during tasks under various preset and self-selected speeds for 3 min. Computer input activities of 7 university students playing online games and 7 processing documents were recorded for 8 consecutive days. Analytical results demonstrate that the proposed external logger is more accurate than WorkPace, especially at a fast data entry speeds. The keystroke counts recorded by WorkPace were accurate only at low typing speeds. Moreover, the keystroke count recorded by WorkPace decreased by 17.6% from the logger-registered keystroke count when the typing rate was ≥4 keys/s, particularly when amalgamating with composite keystrokes. Similarly, the number of mouse clicks counted by WorkPace was 27.8% less than that counted by the logger when the click rate was ≥3.2 clicks/s. The average reduction in number of WorkPace-counted keystrokes and mouse clicks was 7.7 ± 2.0% (range [4.4%, 9.7%]) and 3.3 ± 3.3% (range [0.04%, 8.7%]), respectively, during online gaming tests, and was 4.0 ± 4.9% (range [−3.6%, 8.9%]) and 4.6 ± 4.7% (range [0.7%, 13.1%]), respectively, during document processing tests. This work demonstrates that the proposed external logger is an accurate and reliable tool for quantitatively measuring computer input activities. Further applications of the logger are discussed.Relevance to industryQuantitative assessment of keyboard and mouse use can help identify high-risk groups and safe duration of computer use. The proposed logger effectively measures computer input activities, thereby providing accurate data than a software-based logger in assessing computer usage.