The future is more likely dialing by voice than it is a re-arranged button layout.
My opinion, what a monumental waste of time. I'm damn happy that I read tbgvi's comment before looking at the article, as the few minutes I spent browsing over it seem a waste.
What's next, let's design coat buttons to allow people to get dressed 0.5 seconds faster(after of course speeding hours relearning their muscle memory to actually do it -and don't forget the patented new button design giving them 20% of all sales of course)
I can't remember the last time I used a phone number for anything. Contacting friends is mostly done via social media. Talking on the phone is done via voice or video via same social media. Contacting companies? Via e-mail or their own webpage with some kind of chat support.
I only have a phone number, so that people without smart phones (my grandmother) can contact me.
And 2FA!
Daily.
> Contacting friends is mostly done via social media. Talking on the phone is done via voice or video via same social media.
My friends aren't reliably on social media (and some of them aren't at all). SMS is quickest for small things, an actual phone call is quickest for a slightly longer discussion. E-mail for a group discussion or long-term planning.
> Contacting companies? Via e-mail or their own webpage with some kind of chat support.
I start with their online help or ordering system. For a tech company, e-mail might be the next option. For food, or something where I'm contacting someone local, it's almost always a phone call.
I'd have to think about the last time I actually dialed a number by hand, though.
If I meet a new person I enter 10 digits and that is the extent of my usage. Not to say that the design in use is justified by limited use, but my point is that dialing a number is already antiquated. Most of the time I dial something from a saved/shared contact, maps, or from a link in an email or on a website - never actually typing in a number.