Yea or Nay? Palette’s Modular Physical Dials, Buttons and Sliders for Computer Work

Palettes are a series of clean-looking dials, sliders and buttons that bring tactility to operations you’d normally perform on-screen. Here’s a quick example:

I’m mightily impressed at the thought that went into the UX. Take a look at how you set these up:

The design seems pretty great. The magnets are smart and I dig that the little OLED screen displays what app you’re in. And despite the fact that the modules appear to slide across the desk a bit too easily in the video, the company says that “Rubberized bases keep Palette firmly planted on your desktop as you slide, press and turn.” 

The standard units are aluminum, but they’ve also got a handsome version done in solid cherry.

I’m putting this up as a “yea or nay” because despite how well-designed and clever these are, I’m not sure I’d sacrifice precious desk space to incorporate the system. I’d love the buttons for Photoshop, where I often have to hunt and peck through a series of commands, and the dial for editing videos in Premiere, although it’s hard to beat key taps for frame-by-frame accuracy. I don’t have any use for the sliders, though; I’ve always found sliders, as an interface, to be imprecise.

I work on a laptop, and in general I like to keep my hands on the keyboard and trackpad; I stopped using a mouse long ago because I don’t like reaching. I’ve also grown fond of keyboard shortcuts, but admittedly I can’t tell if it’s for efficiency’s sake or because I’ve developed Stockholm Syndrome.

What say you, would Palettes fit into your workflow? And would you be willing to spare the desktop real estate?

These are, by the way, just about the opposite of that Fidget Cube.