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Comment by Avamander | Hacker News Reader

I suspect most people here are forgetting that the average person types slower and finds keys slower than they can point-and-click, because they can't touch type. Keyboard-first user interface is definitely not an improvement if the same thing can't be done with a mouse in a reasonable time.

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Each style of user interface is obviously not going to be the best for every single person, but for people who are used to using a keyboard, and who interact with software for long periods every single day a keyboard shortcut focused interface could be much more efficient (and they are - ask anyone who does 3d modelling for a living).

Designing user interfaces for some hypothetical "average person" that's using it for the first time might make sense for consumer software that's sold to everyone for occasional tasks, but there's plenty of software that benefits heavily from having a bit of a higher learning curve in exchange for faster/more efficient interaction.

Is this true for anybody under the age of say, 40? I don't know a single person between the age of 15 and 40 who can't touch type at least 50 WPM.

I think the main hindrance for most people is not lack of touch typing skills, but more lack of ability or desire to memorize key bindings or the names of commands.

Exactly. It's just as equivalent as having to memorize where some hypothetical share button is on a webpage. I've had this experience trying to change my settings in iOS; I often forget where I'm supposed to click to get to certain settings.

Same issue on android, there needs to be a search function like there is in the windows control panel because there's so many categories and I'm never quite sure which category something is going to be in.

As an Australian, outside the family I grew up in, and other software developers I know, I can’t think of anyone that I know can type at 50wpm on a physical keyboard. But then, I don’t actually know the typing abilities of many people in the range 15–40. On touch keyboards with autocorrect and autocomplete, I’ve seen various people typing well past 50wpm. Meanwhile I type 110wpm on a normal keyboard and maybe 30wpm on a touchscreen phone keyboard.

(On later reflection, I have actually thought of three that I know or used to know that can type at a decent speed. But I can think of quite a few more that can’t.)

Fellow Australian here.

I work in metal fabrication, and I can tell you the overwhelming majority of building and fabrication tradespeople can’t touch type, regardless of age.

Two just within my team in the past year or so. One was a developer for years (mid 30s now), the other in product development (early 30s I think, but may just have a younger face). Both do a fairly fast hunt-and-peck, I'd guess somewhere around 10-15 WPM, it was kinda awkward to watch.

Touch typing is not common in people my age (early 2000s). People learn to type on their own out of necessity, so they learn their own techniques just like how everyone has different handwriting. So, some are fast and some are slow.

Born in the early 90s and I don't touch type properly either despite being a full time software developer. Learned my own technique and probably do like 80-90 wpm - I'm sure I could be faster if I tried to learn proper form but it doesn't seem necessary yet.

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