It would seem to make more sense to simply arrange a keyboard in the same way our alphabet is arranged – from A to Z.
That’s how we all learned to spell, right?
But that’s not the case because we now all use the modern QWERTY keyboard layout instead.
The reason why keyboards aren’t arranged in alphabetic order is because early telegraph operators struggled to transcribe messages to an ABC style keyboard because that particular layout does not reflect how frequently certain letters are used in the English language. So through multiple iterations and testing, Christopher Sholes came up with the QWERTY layout.
Logic behind the QWERTY keyboard layout
Some claim that it was done to avoid mechanical breakdowns in early typewriters.
Others have claimed that early typists using ABC keywords worked so quickly that they literally broke them.
Both of these reasons are entirely plausible and probably have some merit.
The problem is that they’re pretty much anecdotal – a sort of urban myth as to why QWERTY is the default keyboard setting for all keyboards and keyboard apps.
But we need to look at the English language as a potential source too.
Because that’s exactly what Christopher Latham Sholes did in 1868.
In the above sentence I used vowels (a,e,i,o,u) 25 times, and consonants 32 times.
So it makes far more sense to have the vowels of the English language arranged in a relatively tight group on any keyboard.
You’re simply going to wind up needing them more often.
And that’s why the commonly used vowels are situated in the top row on a keyboard, with only the later “A” left tucked on the second row.
For me it seems far more likely that the QWERTY layout was adopted simply because Sholes and others kept refining it until it worked.
Which is exactly why nobody has bothered trying to reinvent it since then.
QWERTY vs. Dvorak
But the QWERTY layout wasn’t the only kid on the block.
August Dvorak came up with what he considered to be a superior keyboard layout in 1936.
Dvorak tried to place most commonly used keys in natural hand position so you won’t have to move your hands as much while typing.
He also placed the most commonly used letters under a person’s right or dominant hand.
And not the left-handed layout QWERTY has a preference for.
The theory being that this would then improve your speed and accuracy.
And it actually did – students are able to learn how to type 30% faster when using a Dvorak keyboard.
It’s actually a better design than QWERTY but it just never took off.
Kind of like what happened with VHS and Betamax .
But if you really want to use a Dvorak keyboard, the settings for them are still present in Windows 10.
So that means somebody somewhere is still using the Dvorak keyboard layout.
Or that there’s so much legacy equipment around that Microsoft have to keep these settings active in their operating system.
Even though they’d probably much rather bin them.
The Early Adopter Bonus
So is there any other reason why QWERTY is the keyboard layout of choice over a Dvorak or “alphabetical keyboard”?
Charles Latham Sholes got there first.
With just a little help from the Remington company making his keyboard layout the default for their office machines.
Once that happened there was pretty much zero room to win in the ABC keyboard vs. QWERTY debate.
The world had moved on.
New technology had been adopted by millions of office workers and students.
And nobody wanted to retrain them.
Don’t believe me.
Well what if I told you that QWERTY keyboards would vanish tomorrow and be replaced by some new layout instead?
That’s the exact reaction most people have to learning a skill all over again for no good reason.
Anyways, I hope that’s answered your question.
It’s always fun to look into the history of the appliances and devices we take for granted.
Especially when you’re old enough to remember the first computer keyboard you ever used.
