Typing With Pleasure
Metadata
- Author: pavelfatin.com
- Full Title: Typing With Pleasure
- URL: https://pavelfatin.com/typing-with-pleasure/
Highlights
Because visual modality is dominant (vision tends to bias information from other senses), and it’s the only way to gain reliable data on typing errors, visual feedback is very important. Less latency results in “shorter” feedback loop, so we can type more easily, with greater speed and accuracy. (View Highlight)
After all, human reaction time is ridiculously slow — “round trip” from senses to consciousness to muscles takes about 200 ms! (View Highlight). The average human reaction time is 200ms
Formally speaking, typing is a process of motor control exercised by human motor system. Because typing is a fine motor skill (it coordinates small muscle movements), it’s highly feedback-dependent. However, the feedback is handled below the threshold of our conscious perception, so we don’t necessarily need to be aware of latency to be severely affected by it. Human response time is only relevant for error correction. (View Highlight). Humans don’t need to be aware of latency to be affected by it
Latency
Perceptiveness and tolerance of latency vary greatly between individuals. (View Highlight)
How exactly can latency affect typing? Here are a few possible effects: • Typing becomes slower. • More errors occur, more corrections needed. • Eye strain increases (as visual system is overloaded). • Muscle strain increases (as movement control is fuzzy). • Process demands more conscious attention. (View Highlight)
To minimize data transfer times, it’s recommended to avoid connecting high-bandwidth USB devices (like storage devices, audio cards, webcams) to the same USB controller / hub where your keyboard is connected. (View Highlight)