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CHAPTER THREE: ADAPTATION GUIDELINES
Many experienced computer users, when presented with a Kinesis contoured
keyboard for the first time, overestimate the time it will take for them to adapt.
Experience shows that those same users, when asked about adaptation after a week
of use, reply that learning the new keyboard was much easier than they had
anticipated, and was well worth the effort.
Adapting your kinesthetic sense
As you adapt to the Kinesis contoured keyboard, you are not actually learning in
the traditional sense of the word. You are adapting your kinesthetic sense, which
is your muscle memory, or intuitive understanding of reach and distance.
Typing with long fingernails
Typists with exceptionally long fingernails may have difficulty with the curved
keypads and should consider trimming their nails
. Experience has shown that a 1/4
inch nail length is usually feasible.
Typical adaptation period
You will need a little time to adjust to the new shape of the Kinesis keyboard, but
not much. Laboratory studies and many years of experience show that most new
users of Kinesis contoured keyboards are productive (approximately 80% of full
speed) within the first few hours. Full speed (or greater) is typically achieved
gradually within 3-5 days.
After the first week, many new users equal or exceed their previous speeds and
accuracies. However, extremely fast typists may need more time to adapt than will
average typists.
Using training materials
Whether or not you are a touch typist, Kinesis encourages you to use the training
materials included with your Kinesis keyboard. Although this is not a necessary
step in adapting to the Kinesis keyboard, many users — regardless of their typing
skills — find the typing exercises to be extremely helpful.
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