Benefits of Touch Typing

What is Touch Typing?

Touch typing is typing without using the sense of sight to find the keys. Specifically, a touch typist will know their location through muscle memory. Touch typing usually places the eight fingers in a horizontal row along the middle of the keyboard (the home row) and has them reach for other keys. Most computer keyboards have a raised dot or bar on either the F/J keys or the D/K keys (or the keys in the same position, for non-QWERTY keyboards) so that touch-typists can feel them when their fingertips are over the correct home row.

What are the Key Benefits of Touch Typing?

Obviously, the main benefit of touch typing is increased speed and efficiency. Extensive research has shown the touch typing technique to be the superior means of using data-entry devices.Touch typing is to use the appropriate keying fingers with as minimal visual consultation of the keyboard as possible.

The alternative “hunt and peck” method of typing produces difficult-to-reverse keying habits that delimit speed and proficiency. Studies have shown that two-finger typists, sometimes also referred to as “Hunt-and-Peck” typists can reach speeds of about 37 wpm for memorized text, and 27wpm when copying text.

What are typical speeds using touch typing?

An average person using the touch typing technique reaches 50 to 70 wpm, while some touch typing positions can require 80 to 95 wpm. Touch typing experts can work at speeds above 120.

It is therefore crucial to encourage the right motor responses (muscle memory) by teaching touch typing to the user at the earliest possible stage.