Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!helios.ee.lbl.gov!nosc!ucsd!sdics!norman From: norman@sdics.ucsd.EDU (Donald A. Norman) Newsgroups: comp.cog-eng Subject: Re: A Dvorak keyboard experiment Keywords: Dvorak thumbs keyboard Message-ID: <554@sdics.ucsd.EDU> Date: 24 Jun 88 17:10:56 GMT References: <3535@pdn.UUCP> Reply-To: norman@sdics.UUCP (Donald A. Norman) Organization: UC San Diego Institute for Cognitive Science Lines: 37 The reports of the Dvorak-qwerty switching experiment are interesting and consistent with what I would expect (as an experimental psychologist). This is NOT what Dvorak enthusiasts claim, however: they claim that one can switch readily among keyboards. I believe the current reports of difficulties. Do not get too excited about the advantages of "motor memory." Nothing special about "motor." The same phenomenon works with anything that is over-learned, over-practiced. Such skills become automated and, thereby, sub-conscious. These skills can be done with minimal interference to other ongoing tasks, with little or no conscious attention, and with great precision and speed. And once a skill reaches this level of automation, it is very difficult to change. PIE MENUS: I suspect that pie-menus are good things, but not because they are motor. Rather, they are good because items appear in a consistent place and it is easy for a single movement to select them. Regular pop-up or pull-down menus may be consistent, but visual attention is needed to find the desired target. Of course, pie menus only work with a limited number of entries (so that the selection stroke does not require high angular precision). I predict that if you add too many entries, they will require visual attention just like regular menus. Don Norman Donald A. Norman Institute for Cognitive Science C-015 University of California, San Diego La Jolla, California 92093 INTERNET: danorman@ucsd.edu INTERNET: norman@ics.ucsd.edu BITNET: danorman@ucsd.bitnet ARPA: norman@nprdc.arpa UNIX:{decvax,ucbvax,ihnp4}!sdcsvax!ics!norman