EN ISO 9241-400:2007 is part of the ISO 9241 family on ergonomics of human–system interaction and provides guiding principles and general requirements for physical input devices. The standard gives ergonomics-based guidance for the design and use of input devices such as keyboards, mice, pucks, joysticks, trackballs, trackpads, tablets and overlays, touch-sensitive screens, styli, light pens, voice-controlled and gesture-controlled devices. It also defines terms used across the ISO 9241-400 series and identifies device properties that affect usability.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Ergonomic principles: Defines high-level design principles to support usability and safe interaction (e.g., appropriateness, operability, user compatibility, feedback, controllability, and managing biomechanical load).
- Terms & definitions: Standardizes vocabulary for actions, touch and press/release strategies, feedback, hardware, measures and postures relevant to input devices.
- Device coverage: Specifies guidance for a wide typology of input devices and categorizes them by body part used, task primitives, degrees of freedom and sensed properties.
- Usability-relevant properties: Describes functional, electrical, mechanical, maintainability and safety-related properties that should be considered during design and evaluation.
- Interdependency considerations: Addresses how input devices interact with software and the physical use environment and how these affect performance and safety.
- Performance criteria & documentation: Outlines the need for appropriate performance measures and supporting documentation for product design and use.
- Safety note: Indicates that for safety-critical applications other principles may take precedence over general ergonomic guidance.
Applications - practical value
- Product design and engineering: informs ergonomic design choices for consumer, industrial and medical input devices.
- Usability testing and HCI: provides a framework for evaluating device performance, comfort and task suitability.
- Procurement and compliance: helps buyers and safety officers specify ergonomic requirements in tenders and certifications.
- Software and system integration: guides developers on input–software interdependencies and expected feedback/controllability.
- Occupational safety and ergonomics: used by ergonomists to reduce biomechanical load and repetitive strain risks.
Who uses this standard
- Industrial/product designers and hardware engineers
- Human factors/ergonomics specialists and usability professionals
- HCI researchers and software developers integrating input controls
- Procurement officers, safety engineers and regulatory bodies
- Manufacturers of input peripherals and medical/industrial control systems
Related standards
- ISO 9241 series (ergonomics of human–system interaction)
- ISO 9241-4:1998 (keyboard requirements) and ISO 9241-9:2000 (non-keyboard input devices) - referenced as part of the consolidation into the 400 series
EN ISO 9241-400:2007 is a practical reference for designing, evaluating and specifying physical input devices to improve usability, safety and compatibility within interactive systems.