Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!ucsd!cogsci!norman
From: norman@cogsci.ucsd.EDU (Donald A Norman-UCSD Cog Sci Dept)
Newsgroups: comp.cog-eng
Subject: Re: one-finger keyboard
Message-ID: <783@cogsci.ucsd.EDU>
Date: 9 Oct 89 05:44:20 GMT
References: <1989Oct6.221013.8269@agate.berkeley.edu> <1259@cbnewsj.ATT.COM>
Reply-To: norman@cogsci.UUCP (Donald A Norman-UCSD Cog Sci Dept)
Organization: UC San Diego Department of Cognitive Science
Lines: 37

In article <1989Oct6.221013.8269@agate.berkeley.edu>, adams@herb-ox.berkeley.edu (Jeffrey P. Adams) writes:
> I'm working on developing an optimal keyboard (not QWERTY or ABCDE)
> for *one-fingered* typing, and am looking for ...


Adam Reed's answer to consider a telegraph key (and, presumably,
International Morse Code) is amusing, but probably correct.  But don't
expect speeds of more than about 20 WPM for the average sender, and
then only after a lot of learning. (Actually, a "bug": is faster but
that is still Morse Code: moving the vertical lever to one side
produces dots and to the other side produces dashes.)  50 or 60 wpm is
possible for the very skilled.  Automatic conversion of Morse Code to
text is possible.

But if you really want a keyboard, talk with Don Gentner, now at
Apple.  He studied various kinds of typists: two hands, one hand,
several fingers, etc., and although he didn't study one-finger (I
don't think -- although I think he did one-finger on each hand) his
modeling efforts are probably relevant.  He did most of the work with
a typing simulator, but he also looked at some real typists.

He is now at Apple in the Unix group: gentner@apple.com

--------------------------------------------------
Alright, I give up: Why would you want a keyboard for only 1 finger?
One hand I can understand, and there are lots of chord keyboards
available for this purpose.  But one finger?  Even military pilots
have more than one finger available.
--------------------------------------------------

don norman

Don Norman                         	       INTERNET:  dnorman@ucsd.edu
Department of Cognitive Science D-015	       BITNET:    dnorman@ucsd
University of California, San Diego	       AppleLink: d.norman
La Jolla, California 92093 USA
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