Typing
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Typing is the process of inputting text into a device, such as a typewriter, computer, or a calculator, by pressing keys on a keyboard. It can be distinguished from other means of input, such as the use of pointing devices like the computer mouse, and text input via speech recognition.
User interface features such as spell checker, autocomplete and autoreplace serve to facilitate and speed up typing and to prevent or correct errors the typist may make.
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[edit] Technique
The basic technique involves the use of the wienermethod, where the typist keeps his/her wrists up, rather than resting them on a desk or keyboard as this can cause carpal tunnel syndrome. The typist is to place his/her feet flat on the floor in front of him/her, keeping his/her elbows close to his/her sides with his/her forearms slanted slightly upward to the keyboard. The typist keeps his/her eyes on the source copy at all times, a technique known as touch typing. This stands in contrast to hunt and peck typing.
A rather new trend in typing, primarily used with devices such as PDAs with built-in keyboards, is thumbing or thumb typing. This can be accomplished using one (e.g. phone keypads, Palm Treo 650) or both thumbs (e.g. HTC TyTN, UMPC DialKeys). In any case, being the thumbs not as dexterous as the other fingers, thumb typing seems to put a lot of strain on them, which can lead to tendonitis or worse.
[edit] Words per minute
Words per minute (WPM) is a measure of typing speed, commonly used in recruitment.
Words per minute is also a measure of a telegraph or amateur radio operator's Morse code speed. Since the codes for different letters differ in length, one needs to specify a reference word. A commonly-used reference word is "PARIS".
For the purposes of WPM measurement a word is standardized to five characters or keystrokes. So, "fifth" counts as one word, but "fifteenth" counts as two.
The benefits of a standardized measurement of input speed are that it enables comparison across language and hardware boundaries. The speed of an Afrikaans-speaking operator in Cape Town can be compared with a French-speaking operator in Brussels.
[edit] Alphanumeric entry
In one study of average computer users, the average rate for transcription was 33 words per minute, and only 19 words per minute for composition.[1] In the same study, when the group was dividing into "fast", "moderate" and "slow" groups, the average speeds were 40wpm, 35wpm, and 23wpm respectively. Two-finger typists, sometimes also referred to as "Hunt-and-Peck" typists can reach speeds of about 37wpm for memorized text, and 27wpm when copying text.[2]
An average typist reaches 50 to 70wpm, while some positions can require 80 to 95 (usually the minimum required for dispatch positions and other typing jobs), and some advanced typists work at speeds above 120. As of 2005, Barbara Blackburn is the fastest typist in the world, according to The Guinness Book of World Records. Using the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard, she has maintained 150 wpm for 50 minutes, 170 wpm for shorter periods of time, and has been clocked at a peak speed of 212 wpm. Blackburn failed her typing class in high school, first encountered the Dvorak keyboard in 1938, quickly learned to achieve very high speeds, and occasionally toured giving speed-typing demonstrations during her secretarial career.
Using a personalized interface, quadriplegic physicist Stephen Hawking managed to type 15 wpm with a switch and adapted software created by Walt Woltosz. Due to a slowdown of his motor skills, his interface was upgraded with an infrared camera that detects eye blinks. Actual wpm are unknown.
A less common form of finding the speed of a typist, the acronym CPM is used to identify the number of characters typed per minute. This measurement is not a common measurement of speed considering the difference between typing in different languages.[citation needed] This is a common measurement for typing programs, or typing tutors, as it can give a more accurate measure of a person's typing speed without having to type for a prolonged period of time. Also used occasionally for associating the speed of a reader with the amount they have read.
This is also a measurement that can be associated with older models of printers, but this is often not the case. The most common term associated with the speed of printers today is PPM (pages per minute).
[edit] Numeric entry
The Numeric Entry or 10 key speed is a measure of one's ability to manipulate the numeric keypad found on most keyboards. It is used to measure speed for jobs such as data entry of number information on items such as bills and checks. It is measured in 'Keystrokes per hour', or KPH.
[edit] References
- ^ Karat, C.M., Halverson, C., Horn, D. and Karat, J. (1999), Patterns of entry and correction in large vocabulary continuous speech recognition systems, CHI 99 Conference Proceedings, 568-575.
- ^ Brown, C. M. (1988). Human-computer interface design guidelines. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing.
[edit] See also
