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by throwup238 410 days ago
7-8-9 is the “standard” for calculator keypads but Bell Labs (supposedly) did some research and found 1-2-3 was more intuitive for users when designing the touch tone telephone keypads. When ATMs were being designed, manufacturers in the US/Canada/Europe emulated the telephone keypad while manufacturers in Asia emulated the calculator keypad.
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These days you can get PIN-capable card-readers with touchscreens. Some of these models randomize the button layout, which can be interesting to those who rely on muscle memory to type their PIN. Especially given that some shops have the readers physically attached or secured, so you have to type the PIN at an odd angle.

Some examples here[1].

[1] https://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/144937/why-do-some-ne...

As I was briefly a beneficiary of SNAP EBT ("Food Stamps") I was subjected to the process of managing that debit card. When checking out, for example from Walmart.com, a popup would appear so that the user can input his PIN.

The popup was served by the SNAP EBT provider, and it would randomize the PIN number pad. So indeed, you couldn't rely on muscle memory to input your PIN because the number pad changed every time input was requested. It seemed that the mouse was also required for this input, rather than the keyboard.