Version 1
: Received: 9 March 2021 / Approved: 10 March 2021 / Online: 10 March 2021 (13:24:58 CET)
How to cite:
Klein, A. Engram: A Systematic Approach to Optimize Keyboard Layouts for Touch Typing, With Example for the English Language. Preprints2021, 2021030287. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202103.0287.v1
Klein, A. Engram: A Systematic Approach to Optimize Keyboard Layouts for Touch Typing, With Example for the English Language. Preprints 2021, 2021030287. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202103.0287.v1
Klein, A. Engram: A Systematic Approach to Optimize Keyboard Layouts for Touch Typing, With Example for the English Language. Preprints2021, 2021030287. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202103.0287.v1
APA Style
Klein, A. (2021). Engram: A Systematic Approach to Optimize Keyboard Layouts for Touch Typing, With Example for the English Language. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202103.0287.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Klein, A. 2021 "Engram: A Systematic Approach to Optimize Keyboard Layouts for Touch Typing, With Example for the English Language" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202103.0287.v1
Abstract
Most computer keyboard layouts (mappings of characters to keys) do not reflect the ergonomics of the human hand, resulting in preventable repetitive strain injuries. We present a set of ergonomics principles relevant to touch typing, introduce a scoring model that encodes these principles, and outline a systematic approach for developing optimized keyboard layouts in any language based on this scoring model coupled with character-pair frequencies. We then create a keyboard layout optimized for touch typing in English by constraining key assignments to reduce lateral finger movements and enforce easy access to high-frequency letters and letter pairs, applying open source software to generate millions of layouts, and evaluating them based on Google’s N-gram data. We use two independent scoring methods to compare the resulting Engram layout against 10 other prominent keyboard layouts based on a variety of publicly available text sources. The Engram layout scores consistently higher than other keyboard layouts.
Computer Science and Mathematics, Computer Science
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Commenter's Conflict of Interests:
I am the author of the paper.
Comment:
Thank you. You are right that BEAKL shares similar goals and has resulted in a layout that has clear similarities with the Engram layout. When I submit an updated version of this preprint as a paper for publication, I will try to include BEAKL-15 in my analysis.
I do find it odd that BEAKL-15, despite one of its principles (“It vehemently avoids favoring the home pinky and the inside index key.” in https://deskthority.net/wiki/BEAKL), it still assigns 4 letters to the 6 innermost column keys. Regardless, it appears to be an excellent layout that I look forward to learning more about.
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Commenter:
The commenter has declared there is no conflict of interests.
Commenter:
Commenter's Conflict of Interests: I am the author of the paper.
I do find it odd that BEAKL-15, despite one of its principles (“It vehemently avoids favoring the home pinky and the inside index key.” in https://deskthority.net/wiki/BEAKL), it still assigns 4 letters to the 6 innermost column keys. Regardless, it appears to be an excellent layout that I look forward to learning more about.