Touch type
Alternatively known as touch typing and touch keyboarding, touch type is where a user places their hands on a keyboard and types without looking at their fingers. Users who type this way type faster than any "hunt and peck" user, and is the recommended method for typing on a computer.
What are the advantages of touch typing?
Below are the reasons you should learn to touch type on your computer keyboard.
- Speed - Anyone proficient at touch typing is always faster than someone who cannot touch type.
- Reduces strain - Keeping your head in the same position without having to look down at the keys reduces neck strain.
- Keeps you focused - If you have to look down to find a key on the keyboard, it breaks your train of thought. A person that touch types remains focused, makes fewer errors, and increases their overall productivity.
- Can type in any lighting condition - Someone who can touch type doesn't need to find a key, which means they can type in the dark or any lighting condition. A person that cannot touch type may have to press multiple keys before finding the correct key.
How to learn to touch type
To learn to touch type, you must memorize where each key is on the keyboard. You can start learning to touch type by first positioning your hands properly on the keyboard without looking at the keyboard. To do this, practice feeling for the bumps on the "F" and "J" keys with your index fingers. Once these bumps are found, you know where to place each of the fingers on the home row keys. Your thumbs should also hover over the spacebar.
Practice always keeping your fingers on the home row keys and only moving your fingers to other rows when you must press a key on a different row.