Qwerty versus Alphabetic Keyboards as a Function of Typing Skill

Abstract

A comparison was made of performance on two keyboards, a three-row alphabetic arrangement (ALPHA) and the standard typewriter array (QWERTY). Thirty subjects who ranged in typing skill from almost none to secretarial level operated the keyboards for ten half-hour sessions. Half of the subjects started on ALPHA and half on QWERTY, switching from one keyboard to the other after five sessions. Input material was a list of names and addresses taken from telephone directories. Keying rates and work output, as measured by the number of names and addresses correctly keyed, was found to be greater for skilled and semiskilled typists on the QWERTY keyboard. Performance on the two keyboards was essentially equal for unskilled typists.