Are You One of the Elite 30% Who Can Touch Type?
In the digital age, we spend more time than ever typing away on our computers and phones. But shockingly, less than 3 in 10 people can actually touch type when it comes to typing on a computer keyboard. But what is touch typing? Touch typing is a term, proposed long before touchscreens were even invented, yet it has little to do with smartphones or tablets: Touch Typing stands for the skill of typing on a keyboard using all ten fingers without looking down at the keys.
Ironically, in the Digital Age, a basic skill such as typing is still available to only a fraction of the computer users. Typing is a complex skill, involving a number of complex processes in our head, which help convert our thoughts into words, and then triggering the movements of our fingers. Scientists refer to such activity as the Fine Motor movements. It is all complicated by the fact, that typing is not a natural skill. Although typing started to become popular nearly 150 years ago – typing is still not a natural skill. Just like the presence of bicycles has not led to a well defined Cycling Gene – the same way it is everyone’s responsibility to become good at typing, if we want to use computers efficiently.
Although typing ability might differ across various age groups, there is clear evidence that the abundance of computers around us cannot solve the problem of learning touch typing on its own.
After surveying typing skills across all age groups for 6 years, some trends were discovered:
- Touch typing mastery peaks between ages 18-30. Surveys found that less 48 % of young adults in the US have successfully conquered proficiency at typing and use all 10-fingers during typing without the need to peek at the keys.
- Among 18-30 year olds, almost half can touch type fluently. For those above 30 years old, the percentage of touch typists is lower.
- Overall, a dismal 60-70% of people in the US still “hunt and peck” type using only a limited number of fingers and needing to peek at the keyboard at least several times a minute.
But why do so few adults graduate from sloppy hunting and pecking? After interviewing hundreds of typists, I uncovered the key factors that make touch typing so difficult to master:
- Insufficient training. Some people are never formally taught 10-finger touch typing. Without the basic knowledge and some training on touch typing less than 10% of people master healthy typing habit.
- Underdeveloped finger dexterity. Touch typing requires building coordination and agility in all 10 fingers. If some fingers are far weaker, people default to just using their dominant fingers. Targeted finger strengthening exercises are key.
- Lack of motivation. Many don’t realize the time savings touch typing offers. Typing just 5 hours a week with the hunt-and-peck method could waste between $2,000 – $18,000 yearly in lost productivity compared to touch typing.
- Doubting ability to learn. Some believe touch typing mastery is an innate skill you either have or don’t. In reality, dedicated training and tools like proprioceptive keyboards can help nearly anyone learn to type efficiently. But overcoming self-doubt is critical.
The good news is, it’s never too late to get those typing fingers moving. With the right training and commitment, anyone can join the touch typing elite. However, the later we develop touch typing skills, the harder it will be to achieve excellence at typing. Find out more on the role of the age in learning typing in a previous post.
Want to test and improve your own typing skills? Try out our “FREE-FLOW TYPING TEST”, where you will see your current typing rate as you type any phrase you want, for example : “The young monkeys went to the jungle gym for some exercise.”
Typing proficiency among professionals between 30 – 45 y.o: ~ 40%
According to the latest statistics:
There are around 130 million office workers in the United States of all ages. Out of those, 90 million are under 40 years old.
Specifically:
- 35 million are between 30-39 years old
- 55 million are between 20-29 years old
So if we look at the 20-39 age group, which are important career-building years, that’s about 90 million office workers.
Studies show that around 25-35% of people in this age group can’t type very well or quickly.
That means out of the 90 million office workers aged 20-39, between 22.5 million to 31.5 million struggle with typing efficiently on a keyboard.
In simpler terms – out of the 130 million total office workers in the U.S., up to 31.5 million younger workers under 40 could really benefit from getting better at touch-typing. Learning to type properly through special keyboards or computer programs could help boost their work skills and career growth.
Typing professiency in younger generation
In general, touch typing skills and formal typing training are on the decline, especially among younger generations. With the rise of mobile devices, more teenagers and young adults are adept at “thumb typing” but lack traditional typing fluency on full-sized keyboards.
While it may seem that younger generations would have an advantage due to growing up with computers, the reality is that keyboarding classes were more prevalent in school curricula between the 1990s and 2000s. Today, keyboarding is not widely taught, and only about 8-10 % of people can learn touch typing entirely on their own without any initial guidance on the basics.”
What’s so special about this new approach, called Proprioceptive Typing?
Proprioceptive Typing uses touch for faster learning. Feeling the keyboard helps good habits become automatic more quickly. Physical ridges connect typing motions with emotions, memories and motivations