In the last 5 months, TypeQuicker has received more traction than I had ever anticipated. We've been receiving traffic from over 40+ countries. Issue is, we only started with support for ANSI QWERTY and many of our users use keyboard layouts other than QWERTY. To address this, we're slowly going to be rolling out additional support for other keyboard layouts. We are starting with adding the most requested ones: Dvorak, Colemak, UK QWERTY and QWERTZ.
While this may seem like a small change, there's a lot of things involved in adding a keyboard layout to TypeQuicker because many of our features are based on the keyboard layout the person is using - let me demonstrate:
We have a real-time hands overlay that shows users exactly how to place their fingers on the keyboard to follow the correct touch typing standard. After each session we show the user their per-hand / per-finger typing stats in the post-typing session - and this is based on the keyboard layout the individual uses. So, for example, on a QWERTY layout, if you typed characters w, s and x slowly and made a lot of mistakes, the score on your left ring finger will be low. When adding a new keyboard layout, we update the mappings for each key to each finger.
I quickly give a rundown on what we've added in this update in the video below (and in the rest of the article) and also give a more detailed breakdown of how adding defining your keyboard layout impacts your experience with TypeQuicker.
Real-Time Hand Guidance
TypeQuicker includes a real-time hand indicator that shows you exactly which finger to use for each key — so you never have to look down at your keyboard. For example, if the next character you need to type is t, here's what each layout looks like.
Try switching between layouts below to see how the hand position and key highlighting change for the t key:
Typing Stats per Hand and Finger
After each session, based on the standard touch typing hand positioning we provide our users with a breakdown of their speed and accuracy per hand and per finger. This helps users identify exactly what is slowing them down.
TargetPractice Mode
To understand TargetPractice we should first cover what a Target is.
In TypeQuicker - a Target can be anything - a finger, a hand, a single character, a two character sequence (a bigram), etc. When you finish a typing session, the stats screen breakdown your stats in various ways. The amount of time it takes you type every single character, bigram and trigram and word is measured. And all of these stats are interactive - by clicking on any single unit (for example, a t -> a sequence), our system will generate practice text that uses that sequence as much as possible - giving you plenty of practice with the target you choose from your own stats.
The hand and fingers themselves are targets; users can click on the hand or finger they want to improve and our system will generate natural text that maximizes the usage of characters that are typed by that hand or finger. So for example, if a user who is using a Dvorak keyboard clicks on their left index finger in the typing stats section, our system will generate practice texts that will maximize the usage of the characters typically typed by that finger.
Adding Support for Dvorak, Colemak, UK QWERTY, and QWERTZ Layouts
Dvorak
The Dvorak layout places the most common letters on the home row, reducing finger travel and improving comfort. It's designed to maximize typing efficiency by keeping your fingers on the home row as much as possible. Dvorak is the second most common keyboard layout after QWERTY.
Colemak
Colemak keeps many QWERTY shortcuts in place while optimizing key placement for English. It's a popular choice for those who want better ergonomics without a full relearn.
QWERTZ
The standard layout for Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and some other countries.
UK QWERTY
The standard layout for the United Kingdom. While similar to US QWERTY, it features a different Enter key shape, an additional key next to left Shift, and different symbol placements — particularly for £, @, and ".
Whether you're learning touch typing on a QWERTZ keyboard common in Germany and Austria, or switching to Dvorak or Colemak for better ergonomics, the hand guide helps you build muscle memory without ever glancing at your physical keyboard.
How to Switch Layouts
To switch layouts: Settings → Keyboard Layout. The setting applies across all typing modes — text practice, code practice, and the daily challenge.
What's Next
We're really excited about this feature. Folks learning Dvorak or Colemak will find this really useful as it will help them learn how to type with the new layout.
For our next major realease - we're hoping to squeeze in adding support for AZERTY, South American and Spanish keyboard layouts!
Cheers!