Noise:

Unwanted sound

Sound:

A vibration, or a traveling wave that is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through a medium (solid, liquid, or gas)

Custom Mechanical Keyboard:

Mechanical keyboards typically made with enthusiast-level values such as gasket mounting, polycarbonate or FR-4 plates, or lubed switches.*

*Due to the idea of custom mechanical keyboards being such a niche topic and many characteristics changing over time, people usually see custom mechanical keyboards as any mechanical keyboard with a "premium" feel and sound, which is very subjective and is difficult to define.

Many people from all around the world have begun or have already been using technology such as computers. By finding out the benefits of custom keyboards, we can further our understanding of everyday items as well as give people a reason to invest in the purchase of a custom keyboard.

Hypothesis:

• If someone fills out the PSS before and after using a custom mechanical keyboard, the results will be different and show a result of lower perceived stress.

Assumption:

• Due to recency bias, a cognitive bias which affects the emotion of a memory based on recent events, there will be a change in answers of the PSS so that the participant will perceive their lives in the past month a little more or a little less stressful due to the PSS asking about their feelings in the past month.

• The difference in perceived stress will come from the sounds of the mechanical keyboard and not a combination of sound and feel. 

This research follows a controlled experimental design, where there will be the manipulation of one variable for three groups of people. The people who are assigned to each group will be randomized. Quantitative data will be used from the Perceived Stress Scale.

Posters will be put around the school being studied, where a QR code can be scanned as an interest form. If they qualify for the study, they'll be sent an email with more information about the study, as well as consent forms. 

It was planned for a paired t-test to be used to find whether the PSS scores before and after are statistically significant, and a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to be performed in order to analyze the differences in the PSS scores between the three groups. However, with a limitation of the sample size being too small, it was necessary to use a descriptive comparative analysis of the data.

• less intrusive sounds may lead to more relaxation, perhaps in the environment of a slightly demanding task

• the “default” tools used in regular environments might not be the best for its users.

• subjective perceptions of sounds could influence people's physiological reactions

The most meaningful takeaway from this study was how small design choices in a workspace can influence a person’s psychological state.  This research suggests that sound design in tools we use every day is worth paying attention to. This tells us that other peripherals, such as the mouse, monitor, or even the desk could influence a multitude of different psychological factors in a person. While the hypothesis wasn't able to be proved or refuted, the implications from this study can still lead to many more conclusions and further steps.

Paths branching out from this study would allow for more knowledge of the psychological effects surrounding small details relating to sounds in our lives. The implications given also lead into research on the small details on keyboards, specifically mechanical keyboards. Researching mechanical keyboards in-depth may reveal interesting insights that allow for consumers to decide what might be beneficial to purchase for their own personal needs.