Norman keyboard layout
Norman is a 2012 optimised layout that keeps 22 of the 26 letters on the finger that types them on QWERTY, so the switch mostly retrains direction rather than hands.
- Created by
- David Norman
- Year
- 2012
- In Linux since 2013
- Finger travel
- −46%
- vs QWERTY
- Home row
- 69%
- of letters, QWERTY 37%
The layout
Norman: 22 of 26 letters stay on the finger that types them on QWERTY.
Norman is typed with standard touch-typing fingering on any keyboard.
How Norman measures
Norman typed on 23,331 words of English and compared with QWERTY.
History
- 2012David Norman publishes Norman into the public domain, scored with the key-effort grid from Workman.
- 2013Linux adds Norman to its built-in layouts.
Design goal: An optimised layout that keeps most letters on their QWERTY finger, to make switching easier.
Pros
- Q, W, A, S, Z, X, C and V stay put, so the common shortcuts do not move.
- Most letters keep their QWERTY finger, which makes it one of the gentler optimised layouts to learn.
- Built into Linux, and free to use.
Cons
- Not built into Windows or macOS.
- The 46% effort figure is the author’s own measure.
- A small community and few learning resources compared with Colemak or Dvorak.
Norman compared
Against QWERTY and other easy-transition layouts, ranked by finger travel per 1,000 words.
| Layout | Finger travel | vs QWERTY | Home row | Same finger | Alternation | Left hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NormanTHIS PAGE | 70.6 m | −46% | 69% | 6.3% | 57% | 53% |
| Asset | 74.4 m | −43% | 75% | 2.9% | 58% | 52% |
| QWPR | 74.9 m | −42% | 72% | 4.5% | 56% | 46% |
| Minimak 4 | 102.7 m | −21% | 53% | 4.3% | 56% | 46% |
| QWERTY | 130.0 m | — | 37% | 6.5% | 55% | 57% |
Norman was created by David Norman and published in 2012.
It moves your fingers less. On 23,331 words of English, finger travel was −46% against QWERTY, 69% of letters landed on the home row against QWERTY’s 37%, and same-finger pairs were 6.3% against 6.5%. Less movement does not guarantee more speed, and switching takes weeks of practice.
Norman is typed with standard touch-typing fingering on any keyboard.
Norman ships with Linux. Windows and macOS need the installers from the Norman site.
Yes. Choose Norman as your keyboard layout and the on-screen keyboard and hands show where every key is.