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Beyond Dvorak via Genetic Algorithm

Posted by timothy on from the helping-your-fingers-keep-score dept.

ColonelPanic writes: "I switched my computer keyboard to the Dvorak layout about a year ago. But now I've gone and done something really outlandish. I tried to discover the most efficient layout possible with a genetic algorithm. It's weird-looking, but I am typing with it now. I put the gory details up on the Web."

2 of 384 comments (clear)

  1. IBM's ATOMIK for PDA's by Hollinger · · Score: 5, Informative

    IBM did this in 2k1 for PalmOS PDA's, and called it ATOMIK (Alphabetically Tuned and Optimized Mobile Interface Keyboard). It's from our Alphaworks, and is designed so that it has:
    1. Higher movement efficiency than any other existing touch keyboard.
    2. Alphabetically-tuned layout: Generally, letters from A to Z run from the upper left corner to the lower right corner of the keyboard. This layout helps novice users find letters that are not yet memorized.
    3. Letter connectivity of common words: Many common words or comment fragments of words, such as "the" and "ing" are totally connected.

    You might want to take a look at http://www.almaden.ibm.com/u/zhai/topics/virtualke yboard.htm and scroll down for a list of very good research papers.

    --
    Michael C. Hollinger
  2. Re:That's all fine and dandy... by Decklarean · · Score: 5, Informative

    Qwerty wasn't designed to slow people down... that's a myth.

    Research on keyboard stuff found here:
    http://web.mit.edu/jcb/www/Dvorak/