Dvorak Keyboard

Dvorak Keyboard
Presented by:
Scalco Simone
Teweldebrhan Haile
Kappa Noellar
Siku Bishruti
Tumanov Elena
Negeri Negassa
The Concept
The idea of Dvorak Keyboard
Patented in 1936 by Dr. August Dvorak.
Variations were designed by the team led by Dvorak or by ANSI.
Uses less finger motion and reduces errors compared to the standard QWERTY keyboard. This
reduction in finger distance traveled is claimed to permit faster rates of typing while reducing
repetitive strain injuries.
Interest in the Dvorak keyboard layout increased by the early 1950s. Numerous businesses and
government organizations began to consider retraining their typists on Dvorak keyboards.
The Concept
Querty was not good enough...
Querty keyboard was designed primarily for minimizing typewriter
jamming by placing the most commonly used characters further
away from one another.
But we don’t use typewriters anymore...
With the introduction of personal computers
and printers, typewriters has become
entirely obsolete.
However the querty layout, which was
designed for typewriters is not obsolete.
Well, maybe it should be!!! And now we’ll
explain you why.
The Concept
QWERTY was not good enough...
Required awkward finger motions which can lead to repetitive strain injuries due to many common
letter combinations .
Many common letter combinations require a finger to jump over the home row.
Many common letter combinations are typed with one hand. (e.g. was, were)
Most typing is done with the left hand, which for most people is not the dominant hand.
About 16% of typing is done on the lower row, 52% on the top row and only 32% on the home row.
The solution: Dvorak keyboard
Layout principles
The layout Dr. Dvorak created adheres to these principles:
Most commonly used letters are placed in the home row, where they’re easy to reach, and the least
commonly used letters on the bottom row, where they’re hardest to reach.
On Dvorak, the typing is split more equally between your hands, which means you can type faster.
On QWERTY, the left hand does about 56% of the typing.
Letters should be typed by alternating between hands (which makes typing more rhythmic, increases
speed, reduces error, and reduces fatigue).
Dvorak keyboard
Advantages: Design and finger movements
DESIGNED FOR THE TYPIST, NOT THE TYPEWRITER
While QWERTY was designed so that the typewriter could work (solving the problem of the
jamming), Dvorak was designed so that the typist could work well.
LESS FINGER MOVEMENTS
It is a keyboard layout designed to minimize movement, and make typing as easy as possible. The
idea is to have the most commonly typed keys under the fingers.
Dvorak keyboard
Advantages: Efficiency
SPEED AND EFFICIENCY
Dvorak keyboard includes the most common letters on the home row. The next most common
letters are on the top row, and the least-used letters are on the bottom row.
On Dvorak, you can type thousands of words on the home row.
How many words can you make out of QWERTY's home row, "asdfghjkl;"?
Dvorak keyboard
Advantages: Alternation between hands
ALTERNATING HANDS
Dvorak results in most letters being
performed with the right hand. While
QWERTY results in most of the typing
being performed with the left hand,
On the Dvorak, vowels and, the most used
symbols are on the left, while the most
used consonants are on the right.
Dvorak keyboard
Advantages: Accuracy
ACCURACY
Errors occur more when you type away
from the home row, or consecutively with
the same finger. When you combine the
two problems you make even more
mistakes. This is what happens more often
in QWERTY.
Dvorak users tend to make fewer mistakes
when typing.
Dvorak keyboard
Advantages: Comfort
COMFORT
The Dvorak layout was carefully adapted to fit the English language. QWERTY, on the other hand,
is not.
Dvorak may actually decrease the risk of carpal-tunnel syndrome and other forms of repetitivestress injury (RSI).
Vowels are placed on the
left hand side of the home
row
Most used consonants are
placed on the right hand
side of the home row
Dvorak keyboard
Advantages
LEAST COMMON LETTERS IN LAYOUT
The least common letters should be on the bottom row which is the hardest row to reach.
RIGHT HAND
The right hand should do more of the typing because most people are right-handed. As illustrated
in the previous charts:
Dvorak keyboard
Advantages: Learning time experiments
EASY TO LEARN
Dvorak keyboard
Business Letter Test
Given that we have a sample letter which has 1410 characters, 1715 characters with spaces, 13
paragraphs, and 33 lines. The chart below shows that Dvorak used about 61% ( 26661 mm) of the
movement to type this letter than Qwerty, at 100% ( 43904 mm ). This translates to Dvorak at 26661 mm,
or 87.54 feet, and Qwerty, at 43904 mm, or 144.15 feet.for a difference of 56.61 feet, less used when
using Dvorak.
Time to switch keyboard!!!
Dvorak is Awesome...
Now take another look at your keyboard and look at Dvorak
here….
Are you really happy using something that doesn’t give you any
advantage while you are typing???
Something that makes you move your hands and wrists far more than is
necessary???
Would you not use something that was designed to make your life
EASIER?
Why Dvorak is not the current
standard keyboard layout
Network, Lock-In Effect, Switching Cost in the 1880’s resulting in the
current keyboard layout
BY THE WAY…
“People don’t know what they want, but they know how they
feel” - Dr. Dvorak