ergopad VS rae-dux

If you have a decently sized touchscreen device, there's ergopad that lets you create a cloud of points with your fingers and average out the layout of respective key columns. However, it's limited to flat layout only.

If you have a Large enough tpuch screen device https://pashutk.com/ergopad/

If you want to design your own you could use ergopad.

Choc switches can have a smaller spacing depending on the keycaps used, and are low profile, sadly no comercial keeb (to my knowledge) uses this spacing (MX spacing top, choc spacing bottom), but you can find resources to make your own on r/ErgoMechKeyboards, or find someone that takes commissions. Also another benefit of a DIY keeb is that the layout can be made based on yours or your wife hand (on a tablet https://pashutk.com/ergopad/), so even more confortable.

you can use Ergopad to see what your personal stagger (and splay) is

I used Ergopad and TOTEM's layout as base. Less GPIO on Xiao was easier to manage since I was looking at other similar keyboards and copying schematics / track connections.

ergopad?

So I'm currently in the process of designing my first keyboard, because I went too deep into the rabbit hole and wanted to start with the hardest possible difficulty level. What helped me start out was this keyboard layout comparison site, ergopad (a site where you can "measure" your fingers' reach if you have a tablet) and actually printing out one of those paper keyboard testers. I know there is one for the Kyria, but other keyboards have them as well. Put a piece of wood underneath for a realistic height, tried some tenting and just typed some words on the paper to get a feel for it. That really helped me figure out where I want the keys to be, can recommend.

The word I think you're looking for is splay. I haven't seen it done any keywell boards but it's on a few different flat boards like the rae dux. https://github.com/andrewjrae/rae-dux

rae-dux https://github.com/andrewjrae/rae-dux

The layout in the thumbnail is very close to one I just built (not my design), Rae-dux, if you want to save yourself a bunch of time.

2x rae-dux halves (see https://github.com/andrewjrae/rae-dux), more pics available here. $15 AUD for both.

Allow me to indroduce the Owl, yet another 5x3 + 3 keyboard ! This is a modified version of the rae-dux, the layout being the same, except with MX spacing. As for the rae-dux, it is wireless only.

So, purely out of my own needs, and since the Sweep doesn't quite cover that, I'd love a 3W6 or a Roost. Or even a Rae-dux.

Full credit to Andrew Rae for designing this board - https://github.com/andrewjrae/rae-dux

There is samoklava and rae-dux, and you can look through the layouts listed in this comparison tool for more. As for ones with a trackball, the Charybdis and its nano variant come to mind.