Content creation is important these days, whether it's producing videos for live streaming, creating graphic art, or even digitally sculpting 3D models for virtual spaces. Unsurprisingly, there is a wide range of software tools available to creators, ranging from simple tools that can be run directly on a mobile phone to more sophisticated suites that require a laptop or desktop. The variety of features in apps that people use on a daily basis can be mentally exhausting, especially when it comes to remembering keyboard combinations that can help speed up your workflow. There's only so much our fingers can do, and the number of shortcuts we have to remember across multiple apps can actually do more harm than good. This DIY project attempts to make the lives of designers and creators a little easier by providing a mini keyboard that allows you to adjust the icons and actions to suit the app you're using.
Designer: Maximilian Kahn
So-called macro keyboards, like the Elgato Stream Deck, are becoming increasingly popular among streamers as well as computer power users. It has a dedicated set of buttons separate from the keyboard that can be mapped to almost any function within the app for ease of use. These gadgets may be popular, but they are still considered niche and therefore expensive and out of reach for budding creators.
However, if you like tinkering and crafting things, you can also make something yourself, which is what this Keybon project is trying to accomplish. It's a small box with nine tactile buttons that can be assigned to specific functions or keyboard shortcuts. Also, like expensive commercial macro keyboards, you can switch between different layouts depending on the software you're running at the time.
What makes the Keybon even more special is that each of these nine buttons actually has a small 0.66-inch screen at the top, at which point you can select an icon to match the action the button represents. It might be faster if you have muscle memory, but visual cues like this help your brain adapt when switching between apps and layouts. At the same time, you don't have to actually memorize any actions or buttons; a quick glance at the keyboard will tell you which one to press.
That said, this type of project requires some electronics and software know-how to create a Keybon, but it also gives you more freedom in designing the device. Fortunately, all the necessary elements are available for free, which also serves as a starting point for makers and creators to customize their personal macrokeyboards to their heart's content.