What Are The Hidden Costs of Touch Typing?

Touch typing is an essential skill for anyone using a computer these days but just what are the hidden costs of touch typing?

Touch typing is only effective when the RIGHT fingers are used to press the right keys. Using the wrong keys can have a significant impact on your typing speed, accuracy, and overall performance.

In this post, we will explore the impact of using the wrong keys for touch typing and how it can affect your typing skills.

We will also provide tips on how to overcome this challenge and improve your touch typing skills.

1. Reduced typing speed

Using the wrong keys for touch typing can reduce your typing speed significantly. This is because your fingers have to search for the correct keys, which slows down your typing process.

As a result, you may find yourself taking longer to complete a task, leading to frustration and reduced productivity. This can be particularly problematic if you work in a fast paced environment such as a busy office or a customer service centre.

When you are not using all ten fingers to type, we call this ‘hunting and pecking’ and this is what most people do if they are not proficient touch typists. Trying to search for individual keys and just using one or two fingers to type is painfully slow.

When you use the hunting and pecking technique, your eyes have to constantly shift back and forth between the keyboard and the screen to locate the correct keys, which takes up valuable time and slows down your typing speed.

It’s important to use the correct finger placement when typing to avoid unnecessary movements and also practice the keys that you are struggling with and focus on practicing them until they become natural to you.

At Type IT! we ensure that our learners are using the correct fingers quite early on in the course. This is so important so that bad habits don’t continue.

2. Increased errors

When you use the wrong keys, you are likely to make more mistakes, resulting in misspelled words and incorrect punctuation. This can be frustrating, especially if you are working on a document that requires high accuracy.

We have a lot of medical staff come to us for touch typing lessons and being able to touch type accurately is an essential part of their job. Using the wrong keys can have serious consequences. Inaccurate or misspelled medical records or patient information can lead to errors in diagnosis, treatment, and medication, which can put patients’ health and safety at risk.

To reduce errors, it’s important to learn which fingers to use and to practice slowly, building up the skill so that it starts to become automatic. This avoids the need to hit the backspace key!

3. Physical strain

Using the wrong keys for touch typing can also lead to physical strain. This is because if you are using the wrong finger, you may find yourself stretching to reach a key, which can result in discomfort and even inflammation and pain. It may even cause your posture to alter, leading to pain in your fingers, wrists, and forearms, as well as other parts of your body such as your neck and shoulders.

Over time, this repetitive strain can lead to serious injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, or other musculoskeletal disorders. Left untreated these problems can affect your ability to type and perform other tasks requiring fine motor skills.

To avoid physical strain, it’s important to use the correct finger placement when typing. You should also take frequent breaks to stretch your fingers and wrists and avoid typing for long periods without rest.

There are also ergonomic keyboards and accessories available that can help to reduce physical strain when typing such as wrist rests and mouse pads that are designed to support your wrists and hands while typing. By making small adjustments to your typing environment and habits, you can reduce the risk of developing repetitive strain injuries and maintain your ability to type comfortably and efficiently.

4. Reduced confidence

Using the wrong keys for touch typing can also reduce your confidence. When you are unsure about the keys, you may hesitate or second-guess yourself, leading to reduced confidence in your skills. This can be particularly challenging when you are working under pressure or in a fast-paced environment.

To improve your confidence, it’s important to practice regularly and focus on the keys that you are struggling with.

5. Reduced job prospects

Finally, using the wrong keys for touch typing can reduce your job prospects. Many employers require their employees to have excellent typing skills, and if you are unable to meet their requirements, you may miss out on job opportunities. This can be particularly challenging if you are in a competitive job market.

To improve your job prospects, it’s important to invest time and effort in improving your touch typing skills.

So what are the most common errors keys?

With our experience at Type IT! over the last 13 years, we know where people tend to make the most errors.

Here are some of the most mistyped letters…

1. E – this is the most common letter in the English language and is often mistyped in place of R or D.
2. R – this is often mistyped because the finger in position on the F key first. So people tend to type the T instead.
3. T – like the letter R, this is often mistyped because people get mixed up between the T and the R key.
4. S – This is often mistyped because it uses the ring finger which we are not used to using. It’s the more dominant middle finger that is used instead to type the D.
5. A – often mistyped because the little finger has fallen off from the home row keys. So the S key is typed instead.

It’s true to say that using the wrong keys for touch typing can have a significant impact on your typing speed, accuracy, and overall performance. It can also lead to physical strain, reduced confidence, and reduced job prospects.

However, with practice and perseverance, you can overcome this challenge and improve your touch typing skills.

Remember to use the correct finger placement, practice regularly, and seek feedback from a touch typing tutor to help you improve your skills.

Check out our range of touch typing courses to see which would suit your needs and enable you to learn how to type faster and enroll online. Alternatively, give us a call on 020 3962 2059  to have a friendly chat about how we can help you!

With time, you will become a proficient touch typist and enjoy the benefits it brings you.

Get In Touch