On everyday English text, Workman puts 66% of keystrokes on the home row (QWERTY: 33%), has 3.0% same-finger letter pairs and alternates hands on 55% of letter pairs. It ranks #4 of 7 layouts we measured for home row use.
Workman was designed by OJ Bucao in 2010. It weighs each key by how comfortable it is to reach rather than by distance alone, and it avoids putting frequent letters in the two center columns that force sideways index-finger stretches.
Workman by the numbers
| Metric | Workman | QWERTY |
|---|---|---|
| Home row use | 66.3% | 32.6% |
| Hand alternation | 54.5% | 50.8% |
| Same-finger bigrams | 3.01% | 7.16% |
| Avg finger travel (key widths) | 0.410 | 0.812 |
| Pinky load | 14.9% | 10.8% |
| Top row use | 21.7% | 52.2% |
| Bottom row use | 12.0% | 15.2% |
| Left hand share | 51.4% | 59.7% |
Measured by Typeri on 6,782 words (31,571 letters) of original everyday English text from our passage library, using a standard row-staggered keyboard and conventional finger assignments. Travel is the average straight-line distance, in key widths, from each finger's home key to the key it presses. Same-finger bigrams count pairs of different letters typed consecutively by the same finger inside a word.
How different is it from QWERTY?
20 of 26 letters are in a different position than on QWERTY: B, C, D, E, F, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, R, T, U, V, W, Y. The shortcut keys Z, X stay where QWERTY puts them.
Finger load
The share of all letter keystrokes each finger handles on Workman. Index fingers are the strongest and pinkies the weakest, so good layouts give the index fingers more work and the pinkies less.
Home row
On Workman, your fingers rest on ASHT NEOI. Small bumps on F and J (or on the keys in those positions) let you find the home row without looking.
Should you switch to Workman?
Switching layouts costs weeks of slower typing, and shared or work computers will still use the standard layout. Switch if you type for hours every day, want less finger movement, or enjoy the challenge. If you need your current speed for work right now, better technique on your current layout usually pays off sooner.
How to switch safely
- Add the layout in your system settings and set a shortcut to toggle layouts.
- Practice 15 minutes a day on the new layout while you keep using the old one for real work.
- Track progress with the 1-minute typing test. Our tests and single key drills work with any layout.
- Test your own writing in the Layout Lab to see how Workman handles the text you actually type.
Words you can type on Workman
- Left-Hand Words on Workman: 513 dictionary words
- Right-Hand Words on Workman: 495 dictionary words
- Home Row Words on Workman: 1,074 dictionary words
- Top Row Words on Workman: 47 dictionary words
- Alternating-Hand Words on Workman: 1,094 dictionary words
Compare Workman with other layouts
Frequently asked questions
Is Workman better than QWERTY?
By the numbers, Workman keeps 66% of keystrokes on the home row versus 33% on QWERTY and cuts finger travel from 0.81 to 0.41 key widths per keystroke. Whether that makes you faster depends on practice time. Most speed gains come from technique, not layout.
How long does it take to learn Workman?
Most people need a few weeks of daily practice to type comfortably and a few months to match their old speed. Fifteen to thirty minutes a day is a realistic pace.
How were these numbers calculated?
Measured by Typeri on 6,782 words (31,571 letters) of original everyday English text from our passage library, using a standard row-staggered keyboard and conventional finger assignments. Travel is the average straight-line distance, in key widths, from each finger's home key to the key it presses. Same-finger bigrams count pairs of different letters typed consecutively by the same finger inside a word.
Typeri. (2026). Workman keyboard layout statistics. Retrieved from https://typeri.com/keyboard-layouts/workman/<a href="https://typeri.com/keyboard-layouts/workman/">Workman keyboard layout statistics</a> (data: Typeri)