Counterintuitive Facts (35): Why Are Keyboard Letters Arranged Randomly?

I. Look down at your computer keyboard. Letters are arranged QWERTY. This doesn't look like a rational design. The most common letters aren't in the most convenient positions. In fact, this is indeed a layout intentionally designed to slow down typing.

II. In 1873, typewriters were mechanical. If typists typed too fast, metal bars would collide and jam together. To prevent jamming, designer Christopher Sholes deliberately separated common letters, forcing you to slow down. QWERTY keyboard's design goal wasn't "let you type fast," but "let you type slow, but don't jam."

III. 150 years have passed. Modern keyboards have no jamming problem. We've also invented the more scientific, faster DVORAK layout. Research shows DVORAK can improve typing speed by over 20%.