It has been four years since I began touch typing with an alternative keyboard layout.

About six years or so back I had a period of pain in my neck that made using a computer practically impossible.  That was the catalyst that moved me to find ways to help mitigate the stress.  I decided to learn how to touch type.  And while I was at it, chose to do so with an alternative keyboard layout.  I picked the Dvorak layout.

I chose Dvorak buying into the idea that a more modern layout would be more efficient than Qwerty.  I'd heard about Colemak but decided against it.  Dvorak support was/is baked into many gadgets, computers and operating systems whereas Colemak requires more configuration.  Shortly after starting out with Dvorak I discovered there are many other alternative layouts. 

To begin with touch typing was very slow going.  I'd never measured my previous typing speed, although I considered myself a fast half-blind hunt and pecker.  The reduction in speed is very debilitating and frustrating.  Memorising the keyboard layout was the easy part, I had the actual layout down in a day or two.  Despite the speed loss and initial typos, getting started was straight forward.  Building up speed however, took time.  When I reached about 30WPM typing began to feel easier.  Early forum posts capture my annoyance with slow typing.  At the time I would have been content with a steady 40WPM (I just wanted to be able to type easily and comfortably).

My fingers struggled with the transition to touch typing from my hunt and peck method.  My hands and fingers felt more constrained.  My right pinky ached.  I'd barely ever used that digit to type previously.  I frequently over practised and that put added strain and stress on my hands and fingers.  I was used to having pains and stress in my upper body, but I'd never felt them in my hands, wrists or fingers.

At some point motor memory took over.  Touch typing began to feel normal.  I didn't need to think about where I was putting my fingers.  You think a word and it errupts on the page.  That's a great moment.

Building up speed for me was a gradual process.  You can practice for a good month with only a small increase in WPM.  Speed gains plateau with time.  I now type around 80WPM to 100WPM according to typing tests (they are probably peaks).

Being able to touch type is great.  When I used to hunt and peck, emails could take a long time, and feel frustrating.  I'd sigh when I had to type out more than a few words.  Entering text commands on a computer could be a pain, it was tedious.  I relied a lot on copying and pasting, and cutting corners.  Not being able to get your thoughts down quickly can be quite stifling.  I personally think this barrier to text entry is really detrimental.

My initial goal was to be able to type at the computer with ease, with less less or no strains an stresses.  I haven't reached that.  I still suffer from both neck and shoulder pain.  My fingers can fatigue and stiffen up.  Normally a result of over typing or from cold surroundings.  My standard keyboard or my approach might be flawed.  Perhaps it is too late to right previous wrongs of the past.  Having said that, I now type more than I ever have in the past, and touch typing affords me not to hunch as much as I may have in the past, so in many ways I feel better.

To try and relieve myself further:  I have tried mechanical keyboards, lessening my key strike impact and experimented with different work station setups (standing desks etc).  Some days for me, touch typing on a standard keyboard can still feel trying.

Rather annoyingly I'm not in a position to compare touch typing between alternative layouts.  As I never could touch type under Qwerty.  I can't comment as to whether Dvorak is more comfortable or not.  I have discovered that alternative layout support is quite flimsy across operating systems, software and devices.  Even for a popular alternative such as Dvorak.

Layout switching can involve digging into esoteric control panels, tabs and menus.  Sometimes this is far from intuitive.   Selecting and flipping between layouts should be much, much easier.  My layout switcher in Xfce (Debian/Linux) sometimes just craps out.  The login screen (GDM3/Debian/Linux), no longer presents keyboard layout options.   That could mean that you have to type in your password under one layout, and when you log in be in another.  Some games are hard coded to Qwerty, which means letters aren't where I expect them to be.

When you share a computer, you want to be able to switch layouts without irritating the other people that you share with.  Keyboard layouts feel like an afterthought by user interface designers.

I'm still looking for insights and techniques that can help me improve my typing.   It is the reason I hang around the Colemak forums like a bad smell.  I feel a little like an imposter.  Thanks for putting up with me.

At times out of desperation, I think that perhaps Dvorak is a problem and I consider switching layout.  I blame the standard keyboard for many of my woes.  I think they are unweildy, and they are designed around a desing from the past - I don't think for the right reasons either.

Learning to touch type took longer and was more difficult than I imagined.  However for me it is most likely a net gain as I spend so much time at the computer. (Too much time,  I must work on that.)  When I started to learn how to touch type I was a little worried (and at the same time hopeful), that the standard keyboard would become obsolete, and be surpassed by new input methods.  The tablet computer is replacing the desktop and laptop for many.  Touchscreen input doesn't particularly wow me in s present form.  Voice recognition is getting better.  Keyboards are not bowing out just yet.

For the future, I might concentrate on fingering technique.  Or if I have the time and inclination try and write some software that helps with touch typing or text input.  I may even consider getting yet another keyboard in the vague hope that it will help (I have two mechanicals already, that I'm not that enamoured with).