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Why did designers not arrange the numbers on numpads like ATM or phone keypads?

I mean, 7 8 9 - 4 5 6 - 1 2 3 - 0 vs. 1 2 3 - 4 5 6 - 7 8 9 - 0.

Does human brain work the reverse way when working with computer keyboard?

Computer keyboard numpad:

comp

ATM keypad:

atm

Phone keypad:

tel

Mehper C. Palavuzlar
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    There are only theories. No specific reason. See: [Keyboard trivia](http://www.vcalc.net/Keyboard.htm) and [Why is the keypad arrangement different for a telephone and a calculator?](http://www.howstuffworks.com/question641.htm) – slhck Jan 26 '12 at 13:53
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    The brain doesn't work in reverse, but you do learn to use both separately and switch contexts. See also http://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/16666/why-do-numpads-on-keyboards-and-phones-have-reversed-layouts – Ben Brocka Apr 20 '12 at 16:09
  • See also https://retrocomputing.stackexchange.com/q/15611/1932 . – JdeBP Jul 13 '20 at 18:12

2 Answers2

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The second link that slhck posted hits it right on the head. The keyboard number pad has the layout it does because that's the same way a calculator is laid-out. The idea was that accountants and others who frequently-used calculators would find it easier to use the number pad, as opposed to the numbers off of the top row.

As a developer, I always hit numbers off of the top-row of the keyboard. On the other hand, I have two friends who are CPAs and they frequently use the number pad...and they are incredibly fast when they do it.

Mehper C. Palavuzlar
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Aaron
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Try labeling a calculator keypad with the letters A-Z in the same way they're arranged on a telephone keypad (taken from the old dial telephones) and typing something like 1-800-GET-SPAM. You'll find that the alphabet is reversed in 3-letter chunks. That's what the old Bell Labs test was about - speed of typing alphabetic "phone numbers" on different key layouts. If they had used a calculator format, all the companies with mnemonic phone numbers would have been up in arms.

Peter Desnoyers
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