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I’ve been reading up on the Dvorak keyboard layout lately and I’ve always wondered whether there really is a true benefit of using Dvorak over Qwerty. The basic history in the development of these two keyboards would tend to suggest that Dvorak is the much more obvious choice. The Qwerty keyboard was designed so as to avoid the jamming of keys and therefore the designer wasn’t necessarily concerned with touch-typing speed. The result was a rather random layout where only about 300 words can be typed using only the keys on the home row. The Dvorak layout, on the other hand, was designed by August Dvorak after tedious research of people’s typing habits. He designed the keyboard on the basis of a few main assumptions:

• It is easier to type words that are comprised of letters on the home row because it requires less movements of the wrists and fingers. For this reason, all vowels are on the home row along with the most common consonants.
• It is easier to type words that require alternating letters between the left hand and the right hand.
• It is easier to type using your stronger index and middle fingers and therefore more commonly used letters should be placed in the center of the keyboard.
• Less finger and wrist travel makes for a more comfortable typing experience and fewer mistakes.

The end result was a keyboard layout that is scientifically optimized for speed and comfort. Over 3,000 words can be typed using solely the letters on the home row of the Dvorak keyboard. However, opinions on whether or not Dvorak truly is a better layout are varied. I have seen many first hand accounts such as this one in which the switch from Qwerty to Dvorak is wildly successful. However, other articles suggest that the benefits of Dvorak over Qwerty are wildly overhyped.

The main appeal of Dvorak to me is the suggestion that it reduces the chances of Repetitive Stress Injuries because of increased comfort and decreased finger and wrist movement. Despite the skeptics, it seems to me the benefits of Dvorak are not so much speed related, but rather injury and comfort related. In terms of my personal accounts, I’m only 22 years old and I’ve already often experienced achy wrists after periods of prolonged typing requirements or coding projects. Entering a career in some type of software development field, this does not bode well for the long term condition of my wrists and fingers. It is for this reason that I’m beginning to consider making an attempt at switching to the Dvorak layout.

I’m obviously very hesitant though. I can currently type with the Qwerty layout at speeds over 75 words per minute with a high degree of accuracy. Many accounts of converts have suggested that it can take anywhere from a month to 6 months to regain your Qwerty typing speeds using the Dvorak layout. It also can be difficult and frustrating in the middle of the transition when you are not quite up to speed in the Dvorak layout but are beginning to lose speed in the Qwerty layout and therefore can’t type very well in either layout. This is disconcerting. Regardless though I think I will research this possibility more. One to six months of frustration could help me avoid a lifetime of RSI’s, arthritis, and significant wrist discomfort.

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 28th, 2005 at 2:40 pm and is filed under Personal, Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.