How to create an ergonomic interface for a device?

Question

Do it yourself

I am new to the development of various devices on microcontrollers and faced the following task: to make an intuitive physical interface. The current device is manual, Tetris format, with a single sensor, the data from which, at the user's command, is logged to the internal memory. Matrix keyboards, which are available in stores, are redundant in the number of buttons or are not convenient in their location. It is necessary to design a block of buttons for yourself. And here I come to the question: on the basis of what theory is all this to be done? How to choose the right number of controls so that there is no excess or, worse, lack? How to arrange them so that it is convenient to work with one hand? All this intuitiveness in interfaces works in such a way that while you use it - everything is fine, but when you try to understand how it works,

At my request, Google shares information about the organization of the workplace, about the design of application and website interfaces, but not the design of interfaces for physical devices. While compiling the question, I came up with such topics as "human-machine interface", but this is also not quite the same, although it is already much warmer.

In general, who faced the same task in their specialty or in the course of amateur development, please indicate where to dig. Information about other related aspects of physical user interfaces (correct display organization, for example) is also welcome.

Answer 1

Donald Norman - The Design of Everyday Things
Jeff Raskin - The Interface
Alan Cooper - A Mental Hospital in the Hands of Patients
Alan Cooper - About the Interface

Answer 2

Read about interface design
Imagine that the entire panel of the device is a touch screen, and in the application you need to make buttons
Remove the touch screen and make physical buttons - nothing essentially changes

Answer 3

The principle is exactly the same as with any UI / UX.
Group the most important controls first (navigate, back, forward, launch a rocket, etc.).
Then secondary. Because already those that are not particularly fucking needed and rarely used.
Any physical interfaces are built on this: Nothing superfluous. The most important thing is easy to understand and in plain sight.
Unless you have a hundred buttons there, of course.

Answer 4

Will there be a display? In the "status line" you can display tooltips for [unintuitive] buttons and change them according to the context (current state).
Look for some "ergonomics of working with measuring instruments"?
PS And microcontrollers here - like a dog's fifth leg.

Answer 5

To summarize my own conclusions based on the collective help: you need to learn the basics of UI plus find sensible information on the ergonomics of devices. I express my gratitude to all who have submitted. If someone shares additional information - I will not be offended)))