Workman keyboard layout
Workman is a 2010 alternative layout that keeps the index fingers out of the centre columns, putting common letters on the keys each finger reaches most comfortably.
- Created by
- OJ Bucao
- Year
- 2010
- Built into Linux
- Finger travel
- −46%
- vs QWERTY
- Home row
- 69%
- of letters, QWERTY 37%
The layouts
Workman: common letters on the keys each finger reaches most easily, with almost nothing in the centre columns.
Workman is typed with standard touch-typing fingering on any keyboard.
How Workman measures
Workman typed on 23,331 words of English and compared with QWERTY.
History
- 2010OJ Bucao, suffering from repetitive strain injury, publishes Workman in September. Colemak’s sideways twist for the common pair HE is what he set out to fix.
- MethodHe grades every key by how much effort it costs each finger. By his measure the centre columns carry 22% of typing on QWERTY and only 6% on Workman.
- TodayLinux ships Workman and its programmer variant, Workman-P.
Design goal: Cut sideways index-finger movement and favour the keys each finger reaches most easily.
Pros
- Very little use of the centre columns, which spares the wrists sideways twisting.
- Z, X, C and V stay on the left of the bottom row for one-handed shortcuts.
- Built into Linux, with a programmer variant.
Cons
- C and V each move one key to the right, so shortcut muscle memory still changes.
- More keys move than in Colemak.
- Not built into Windows or macOS.
Workman compared
Against QWERTY and other established alternatives, ranked by finger travel per 1,000 words.
| Layout | Finger travel | vs QWERTY | Home row | Same finger | Alternation | Left hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WorkmanTHIS PAGE | 70.8 m | −46% | 69% | 2.9% | 54% | 52% |
| Workman ProgrammerTHIS PAGE | 71.9 m | −45% | 69% | 2.9% | 54% | 52% |
| Colemak-DH | 72.6 m | −44% | 68% | 1.4% | 56% | 46% |
| Colemak | 73.3 m | −44% | 75% | 1.4% | 56% | 46% |
| Dvorak | 74.7 m | −43% | 72% | 2.9% | 67% | 44% |
| QWERTY | 130.0 m | — | 37% | 6.5% | 55% | 57% |
Workman was created by OJ Bucao and published in September 2010.
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 2.9% against 6.5%. Less movement does not guarantee more speed, and switching takes weeks of practice.
Workman is typed with standard touch-typing fingering on any keyboard.
Workman and Workman-P ship with Linux. Windows and macOS need an installer from the Workman project.
Yes. Choose Workman as your keyboard layout and the on-screen keyboard and hands show where every key is.