I'm imagining something like the SeedSigner and Border Wallets mixed. That is, take a picture of a grid with your hardware wallet, use the touch screen to enter your pattern - boom, you have your wallet ready to sign. This wouldn't require a secure element and wouldn't require you to save your keywords in a safe (in theory).

If you're not familiar with those two technologies let me explain.

SeedSigner doesn't store your keys on the device (so you don't have to worry about a secure element). This sounds like it'd be a hassle but the device gets around that letting you you create a QR code that the SeedSigner scans (which it does crazy fast). The only issue with this is that if anyone sees your QR code it's about the same as seeing your keywords - so you have to store the QR code in a safe (which makes getting to the code fairly slow and you have to worry about buying a safe).

Border Wallets lets you print out a grid - like a spreadsheet. You then basically "draw" a pattern of 11 or 23 cells on that grid - which then maps to the keywords, which are randomized, on that grid. With this, if someone sees your grid they'd not know the pattern you used so I don't think you'd have to store it in a safe. Only downside is that you have to enter the keywords from the grid into a wallet (aka the normal way which is kind of slow).

What if you mixed these two ideas? Print up a grid of random words (or maybe just a QR code that represents the grid). In a wallet you scan that grid (or QR code), and then tap in your pattern.

It would require pointing a hardware device camera at the grid/QR, then tapping your finger 11 (or 23) times then entering in the checksum word/number. You'd need something like a Keystone or Specter Wallet (or an offline smartphone) - the SeedSigner itself would probably be too small to work smoothly.

While (roughly) 12 or 24 taps is a lot, it's less than typing in keywords. It also means you might not need to store your pattern anywhere as patterns are more memorizable than 12-24 words. You might still store your pattern somewhere but that could be be in something like a password manager or a deadman's switch. If someone were to see that pattern they'd also have to go find your grid.

Let's give an example of a pattern. Let's say your name is Bruce Wayne. Your pattern could be a pixelated B (for Batman, Bruce, or Bitcoin). That seems pretty easy to remember and wouldn't take much time to tap into a signing device. When you need to spend your corn you scan a QR code you have somewhere in your house - maybe secretly painted onto some artwork - and then you tap in the letter B. If anyone else ever found your QR code they'd not know what your pattern is so you'd be pretty safe. If you were under duress (and somehow didn't have access to your bat-themed equipment) you could type in the pattern W which might be filled with a decoy amount.

Thoughts? Please look into SeedSigner and Border Wallets if you don't know about them already - they are pretty great ideas!