{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.011571841851494697, 'fraction_numerical': 0.0009643201542912247, 'mean_word_length': 5.329268292682927, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
SmartBar: Refining a Capacitive-Enabled Spacebar for Gamers

Keyboards targeting PC gamers offer a differentiated experience through improved performance and additional features. One of the similarities between standard keyboards and gaming keyboards is a spacebar that offers a large, accessible surface area. SmartBar is a spacebar with an embedded capacitive sensor that allows for additional input on the surface of the key. This allows dedicated macro buttons typically included on gaming keyboards to be integrated into the spacebar keycap as separate, logical buttons. A user study was conducted that compared five different keycap designs for SmartBar to assess user preference and performance related to activating macros. Results show that a rounded keycap with a -8 degree slope was the most preferred and provided the best recognition rate. The results make a case that the physical design of the spacebar keycap can notably impact user preference and performance related to spacebar designs with embedded capacitive sensors.