On typing metrics

[metalliqaz]

I've not found much in the way of discussion on calculating/collecting typing metrics on the forum anywhere.  I'd like to kickstart a discussion because I'm considering adding metrics tracking features to my firmware.  I need a place to capture my stream of thought as I work through what could be done and what could/should be in the firmware vs what is done on the PC.

At work they have an ergonomic tool that tracks all sorts of things about how we use a computer, and tries to recommend breaks when needed.  On the keyboard they track a few metrics:

- Frequency use of each key (percentage of all keystrokes)
- Average time each key is held (they use this as a measure of "typing force")
- Average time to reach next key
- Time using keyboard

Looking around on wikipedia and whatnot, I collected a few other measures:

- Keypress count (accumulated)
- characters per second
- words per minute
- Error rate (corrections per word)
- keystrokes per character (due to corrections)

That's a pretty good list, can anyone think of other things that would be interesting or useful?

I'm building myself a new keyboard and I'm thinking of adding a module to calculate some of this right on the keyboard.  It doesn't really NEED to be in the firmware, but I have room so I may as well tinker with it.  It could perhaps be used to affect lighting, like to notify the user that they've reached a goal.

There just isn't enough room in my little AVR to collect long term data, but I could try and compute running averages.  Perhaps 1min, 10min, or 1hr.

This will take some refinement...

[regack]

keybr.com generates some interesting stats and gives them to you graphically.  There's a little heatmap of the keyboard with the most commonly typed letters - that stuff would require some kind of method of exporting the data, however.  I'm not sure how you would do error rate in firmware, unless you're just guessing based on use of the backspace/delete, but that seems like it would be pretty sketchy. 


If anything, I imagine some kind of keypress count + time could be used to indicate you should be taking a break, I kind of like that idea. 

[davkol]

AFAIK ScriptLog is used in research on typing; maybe you could look at keyloggers like that one. One of its more important features is measuring pauses between keystrokes. It's used to evaluate "fluidity" of typing, editing or formulating text. There are two possible applications:

• Observe differences in speed of typing different kinds of sequences. (Dvorak layouts are based on that idea.)
• Analyse the cognitive processes.