Ergonomic Principles

Many typing tutors now mention posture and lighting, taking the cue from typeSmart. Yet ergonomics is more than good posture, important as that is.

How many producers of typing tutors have studied the possible causes of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?  How many have specifically addressed the risk of typing injury?

typeSmart's research into that area has led to the conclusion that the Home Keys method is largely to blame, and that the preferred method is Direct Reach.

Reducing the risk of injury from typing.

Whichever typing tutor you choose, will it be teaching you a method of typing that possibly leads to sore hands and wrists in years to come? or will you still be typing happily and creatively with no pain?

TypeSmart aims to increase comfort and reduce the risk of injury while using computer keyboards.

What is keyboard injury?

Keyboard and computer injury in general is now a common cause of lost working time and an increasing numberof regular computer users are experiencing symptoms. The symptoms and injuries are known as:

• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS).
• Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI).
• Cumulative Trauma Disorder (CTD).
• Upper extremity Cumulative Trauma Disorder (UE-CTD).
• Occupational Overuse Syndrome (OOS).
• Work-related Musculo-Skeletal Disorder (WMSD).
• Tendonitis.
• Focal hand dystonia.
• and more.

People with these injuries feel pain in one or more parts of the body, such as the arms, hands, neck, shoulders. Early signs of injury include the experience of numbness, tingling, tiredness, pain or weakness in your upper body, arms or legs.

 

Why is it important?

All computer users, and particularly intensive users, should be aware of the importance of correct posture and habits, as computer and keyboard injury is a major risk for regular users. We have tried to emphasize that with the animated warning provided by typeSmart in the Comfort & Safety module.

The eText Method has been designed to minimize the chance of injury associated with using the keyboard. However, it certainly does not guarantee against injury. The correct posture and habits is as important in learning the eText Method s for other computer use, as well as for optimum creativity and productivity.

You may think you can ignore advice about the risk of keyboard injury with impunity and you might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later it will catch up with you!

What causes keyboard injury?

According to ergonomists, keyboard pain and injury is caused by:

• Muscles and tendons being used over and over again to make the same movement in repetitive activity.
• Poor posture, causing muscles and tendons to be held stiffly in the same position, as at a computer keyboard.
• Working too fast, not being trained properly, using badly designed equipment, and mental stress.

 

How can the risk of keyboard injury be minimised?

Posture

Your shoulders should be relaxed.

Your spine should be straight or slightly curved.

Your forearms and hands should be in a horizontal straight line.

Your lower back should be supported by the back of your chair.

Your thighs should be horizontal.

Your feet should be supported.

Your eyes should be about level with the top of your screen, or slightly above, and the screen should be about 3-4 head-widths away.

Your keyboard should be at the right height and your wrists level.

Your mouse should be not too far away and ideally your wrists should be supported.

Habits

The room should have the right lighting.

The computer screen should have a comfortable screen contrast with no glare, reflections or shadows.

You should have regular breaks with some physical exercise.

Work at a comfortable pace and avoid tension and stress.

Practise Direct Reaching to break Home Keys habits you may have learned through traditional typing methods.

 

How can you tell if you are at risk?

eText TypeSmart is designed to minimize the risk of keyboard related ailments, such as Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI), Occupational Overuse Syndrome (OOS) and Carpal Tunnel Disorder (CTD), and is based on the latest research in this area.

The Comfort and Safety Module, the second module of the Learning Center, aims to help the user become aware of the dangers of bad posture, poor work habits using their keyboard and computer and the early signs of keyboard injury. Employers, HR managers and educationalists would do well to ensure that their users are well informed of their risk after they have completed this module.

It is an interactive module that allows users to first answer a short quiz regarding comfort and safety issues to assess their knowledge of these issues. Then they are asked to respond to questions that allow typeSmart to assess their present and future risk of injury. After users have answered the questions, a summary of their risk is provided, together with comments. This module can be trialed in the free download demonstration version of TypeSmart.

TypeSmart uses the Key Finger Group method of typing, not the discredited Home Keys method, and therefore avoids the awkward keystrokes inherent in that method. In addition, the eText method is based on modern psychological learning principles and reduces the instance of stress and performance anxiety.

A summary of these is provided in the typeSmart software, in the Comfort and Safety panel of the Guides window, which can be accessed from the Navigate Bar.  However, the ergonomic design of typeSmart is no substitute for the right postures and habits, as described above.

 

How using typeSmart reduces the risk of injury.

The eText Method has been designed to decrease the risk of a keyboard user acquiring repetitive strain injury in three ways:

1. Direct Reach Method eliminates the physically awkward keystrokes — that is, about 50% of the strokes required by the Home Keys technique!
2. Reducing or eliminating conditioned psychological stress levels caused by coordination difficulties resulting from the Home Keys technique with typing.
3. Performance anxiety is reduced by the use of modern psychological learning principles.

In contrast, the traditional typing method is a potential cause of keyboard injury for physiological and psychological reasons. The difference between the two methods with respect to ergonomics and reducing the risk of keyboard injury is thus summarized as follows:

Note the differences between the methods typeSmart uses and the traditional Home Keys method:

	typeSmart	Home Keys
Comfort:	The simple Direct Reach Method makes reaching for the keys easy.	About 50% of the keystrokes are physically awkward or impossible.
Coordination:	Improved coordination based on simple Key-Finger Group mapping.	Awkward keystrokes conditions you to associate typing with stress.
Confidence:	Modern psychological learning principles create confidence.	Research indicates fairly high levels of performance anxiety or stress.

However, note that the ergonomic design of typeSmart still requires the need for diligence in relation to the correct posture and habits, as described above, and in the software. Be sure to read our Warning!

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