After using my M01 for several months and experimenting with different layouts, I’ve identified my least favorite keys as P and Q (Qwerty locations). When I am typing, it feels like a big stretch to be able to maneuver my pinkies to reach these corners, and I am considering switching to use my ring fingers. From what I understand, that shouldn’t make a dramatic difference in my typing speed. Whereas most of the time my palms stay down, I almost have to pick up my palms up to reach these keys with pinkies.
I have what someone would probably call medium-sized hands, but is it possible that my pinkies are just shorter than average? I would not go back to a “normal” keyboard in a million years, but this seems like it has been the biggest drawback to the ergonomic shape. Have others had to make this adjustment? I suppose I could even try to use the Z and / keys as my home position. Anyone tried this?
Personally, I almost always use my ring finger to reach those keys, although I can actually reach them with my pinky without moving my whole hand if I wanted to, but that’s pretty uncomfortable for me. I don’t believe in a single “right way” to do things: yes, in theory, you’re supposed to use your pinky to hit those, but practically speaking, if using the ring finger is more comfortable, do it, like I do. Also, I should point out that I used to use my ring finger even before switching to an ergonomic keyboard, and I do that even with my other ergonomic keyboards.
I’m not sure about typing speed, I usually spend a lot more time thinking about what I should write than to actually write it, so raw typing speed isn’t a big issue for me, but making my hands feel better is.
I use pinky and it’s not exactly comfortable, but it’s OK - on other keyboards I’ve used ring fingers but the ortholinear arrangement makes that harder for me now.
But I don’t use QWERTY, and while designing my own layout around keyboardio’s ergonomics, it didn’t take me long to realise that those positions were the least comfortable (if only because doing anything with the pinky that isn’t on the home row is hard), so I assigned X and Q there, since they’re so seldom needed. Q especially works well there because the delay in getting my finger to Q is almost always mitigated by the fact that my other hand can prepare U at the same time.