Road to Colemak: finally Colemak

Here we are. After months of transitioning to a new layout, I’ve finally reached the last step of the journey.

The MonkeyType results for Tarmak layout four: tested with 10, 25, and 50 words and got a WMP of 38.55, 43.45, and 39.79, respectively, with over 93% accuracy and consistency of 60%.

As expected, Tarmak four had a similar impact on my typing performance. Not much has changed regarding the WMP, accuracy, and consistency. Here’s a snapshot of the journey up to this stage.

I expect the graph to start to build up in a few months, eventually returning to the original WMP when I was using QWERTY.

The final layout changes the L>U>I self-contained loop, moving the L key to the top row and bringing the I key to the home row. The U key moves one step to the right.

I already like the final form; it certainly feels more comfortable to type than the previous iterations. I’m sure now I’ll get to experience all the benefits of Colemak.

I’m pleased with the experience. Having done the transition allowed me to use the new layout without impacting my typing speed. I was able to work as usual and without much struggle. If you plan on using a new layout, I’d recommend taking a similar approach if you can’t afford the impact of changing your layout at once.