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Firstly the Microsoft mouse design has had major impacts in the mice industry. Microsoft mice always had ergonomic design. The first Microsoft mouse had a broad teardrop shape with two buttons. The original green buttoned model had a steel ball that spawned an industry in foam mouse pads. The next iteration had larger buttons, a larger body, and a rubber coated ball.

When Microsoft decided that the mouse needed to be redesigned, it turned to the venerable firm Matrix Design of San Francisco. Microsoft routinely used and uses third parties to design and software develop many of the items and software that we take for granted today that Microsoft devoted alone . Mike Nuttal, one of Matrix Designs founders was intrigued by Microsoft’s project: reshaping the exterior without altering the internal mechanism.

Matrix did change one internal element: the position of the mouse ball. “Almost the first thing we tried was to move the ball forward”, Nuttal remarked later. In the old design the ball sat forward under the palm. A computer mouse user has a natural tendency to put their weight on the palms of their hands and thus on the ball. By moving the mouse ball forward the result was much greater accuracy of the mouse.

“We knew the buttons had to be larger “Nuttal as well said “We tried several button sizes and in the process of designing we ended up incorporating the buttons into the body of the mouse.” Another change was in the relative size of the buttons. It was felt that the left buttons should be larger than the right. The results were more than favorable especially with left handed users. By making the left button larger finger position no longer was a major factor therefore the index finger could curve form lower left to upper right ( vice versa in lefties ) . This is the position the index finger naturally favors. In addition the previous rubber-dome switches were replaced with micro switches that had a short travel depression and better tactile feedback.

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