This blog post was planned as part one of three. I wanted to talk about how I tried to implement home row mods on my Keychron Q1 Pro with VIAL, why I needed VIAL to make home row mods really usable and how I failed to do so, because… reasons. But because I had very little time in the past couple of weeks and couldn't write the second and third part, things changed quite a bit and I'm currently no longer using my Keychron board (I still love it though). I bought a split ergo keyboard instead (a Silakka54), which already has support for VIAL and therefore makes it a lot easier to use home row mods. So instead of continuing this series I will soon write an article about my new layout on the Silakka.
For a few weeks now I've been reading and watching A LOT about split ergonomic keyboards. These keyboards are primarely used by software developers or professional typists. With their unique layouts and form factors, they can significantly help with RSI (Repetitive strain injury) and other related issues that usually stem from hours of typing with bad – or at least not very ergonomic – posture in front of a screen.
Most split keyboards do mainly two things: First, they reduce finger movement by removing a whole lot of keys, typically having between 32 and 58 keys. Second, they improve posture by allowing your hands to rest in a more natural, open position by spreading them further apart. It's the first part that had me intrigued the most.
Currently, I use a more traditional keyboard, a 75% board to be precise, without a numpad. It's kind of a budget board, but it feels and sounds amazing, and I genuinely love it (more about my love for mechanical keyboards here). However, I sometimes struggle with typing. I particularly hate the keys I have to reach with my pinky fingers or – even worse – the numbers on the numbers row. It does not feel comfortable, it takes more time and its awful. And don't get me started on the F-keys. But the real end bosses are the modifiers. Most of them are placed in such an awkward position … yuck, just thinking about it makes my skin crawl.
In case you don't know what I'm talking about, these are the modifier keys: Shift, Ctrl, Option/Alt, and Win/Cmd/Super (depending on your OS). They're used to modify the output of any key and allow you to use shortcuts. For example, when you press Shift + a, the result is an uppercase A. Cmd + c let's you copy something. And so on …
When I discovered there are keyboards that simply don't have these keys, I was really curious how that would work and how one could type comfortably on them. Reducing the number of keys on your keyboard can be a bit intimidating. Besides having no F-keys and, on most boards, also no numbers row, it's the modifiers that to me seem to pose the greatest challenge.
The question is: Where do you put the modifiers when your goal is to have fewer keys and as little finger movement as possible? The answer is …
Mod-tapping and home row mods
What is a home row, you ask? Well, the home row is the row of keys where your fingers should naturally rest – on a, s, d, and f for the left hand, and j, k, l, and ; for the right hand (that is if you are using a standard QWERTY layout, but let's not get into different layouts just yet). On many keyboards, you have little dimples on your f and j keys so you can find the right position without looking, just by feel alone.
In ergonomic keyboards, it's all about the home row. You want your fingers to stay as close as possible to it without moving too far away while typing. The further a finger has to move, the longer it takes, and the more strenuous it can become over time. This is where mod-tapping comes into play. When I first read about this, I felt literally mind-blown. But what is mod-tapping? In short, mod-tapping adds a second function to a key, depending on whether you tap or hold it. For example, you could configure the spacebar as a mod-tap key where a tap outputs a single blank space (as usual), but when you hold it down, it now acts as a Shift key.
This feature makes it really obvious where the modifiers should go on an ergonomic keyboard: directly on the home row! And thus, home row mods were born. By simply placing Shift on a, Ctrl on s, Option on d, and Cmd on f, you can now access all modifiers without leaving the home row by just holding down the respective button. On the right-hand side, you do the same, just mirrored. So Shift on ;, Ctrl on l, Option on k, and Cmd on j.
These are just suggestions. Depending on the OS you're using and your typing style, you might want to change the order of the modifiers. Feel free to explore and try out different setups.
And there you have it. Problem solved. You can now use your modifiers without moving your hand, stretching your fingers to awkward positions, or even leaving the home row. Nice. There is one thing, though; using them takes a bit of time and effort. As always, practice is key. But in time, it will come as second nature, save a lot of time, and keep you healthy.
Now back to me and my situation: I am neither a developer nor a professional typist, and I don't own a split/ergo keyboard (yet). I also do not suffer from RSI. But I do love the idea of home row mods and strongly believe that even with a normal keyboard like mine, I could profit immensely from them and greatly improve my typing experince. So naturally, I wanted to give it a try. But as it turns out, implementing and succesfully using this is easier said than done.