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From: Rosemary on 19 Mar 2010 21:33
Hi,

We have Windows XP and use Microsoft Office 2003. We will be upgrading to
Office 2007 the end of this year.

There is an ongoing debate in my department (word processing operators)
between those who like to use the mouse, and those who prefer keyboard
shorcuts. Those who prefer keyboard shortcuts say it's faster than the mouse
because you don't have to take your hands off the keyboard. (Those who use
the mouse do also use some keyboard shortcuts; by contrast those who prefer
keyboard shortcuts tend to not use the mouse at all.)

The research I have done does indeed indicate that keyboard shortcuts are
faster than the mouse. But here is my question: are keyboard shortcuts that
much faster? The reason I ask is because I would like to provide a valid
argument for those who like the mouse to continue using the mouse. I haven't
seen a significant difference in productivity between those who use the mouse
and those who use keyboard shortcuts.

Can anyone provide me with good arguments to back up those who would like to
continue to use the mouse?

Many thanks,
Rosemary



From: LD55ZRA on 19 Mar 2010 22:43
Rose,

Don't waste your time trying to convince nutters. Your time is better spent
doing some productive work. Haven't you noticed on these newsgroups nobody
agrees with each other. MVPs have all ganged up together and they lick each
others p u s s i e s while the rest of us try correcting their errors never
mind pointing out their stupidities.

hth

"Rosemary" <Rosemary(a)discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:3A7F341B-578A-4122-857E-9A4628F91B87(a)microsoft.com...
> Hi,
>
> We have Windows XP and use Microsoft Office 2003. We will be upgrading to
> Office 2007 the end of this year.
>
> There is an ongoing debate in my department (word processing operators)
> between those who like to use the mouse, and those who prefer keyboard
> shorcuts. Those who prefer keyboard shortcuts say it's faster than the
> mouse
> because you don't have to take your hands off the keyboard. (Those who
> use
> the mouse do also use some keyboard shortcuts; by contrast those who
> prefer
> keyboard shortcuts tend to not use the mouse at all.)
>
> The research I have done does indeed indicate that keyboard shortcuts are
> faster than the mouse. But here is my question: are keyboard shortcuts
> that
> much faster? The reason I ask is because I would like to provide a valid
> argument for those who like the mouse to continue using the mouse. I
> haven't
> seen a significant difference in productivity between those who use the
> mouse
> and those who use keyboard shortcuts.
>
> Can anyone provide me with good arguments to back up those who would like
> to
> continue to use the mouse?
>
> Many thanks,
> Rosemary
>
>
>


From: Nathan Sokalski on 19 Mar 2010 22:52
Which one is "faster" actually depends more on the user, as well as what
task you are working on at the time (are you editing text or a graphic, are
you selecting an object or an area, etc.). You can't argue with the fact
that you don't need to take your hands off the keyboard for keyboard
shortcuts can make it faster. However, if you are not familiar with the key
combinations or have trouble remembering them, looking at a reference sheet
to use keyboard shortcuts may be more effort than it's worth. Probably the
best argument for using the mouse is that you don't need to remember the key
combinations and it is easier to keep track of where the cursor is while
working. But my suggestion is to just use both, because some tasks are
easier with keyboard shortcuts (such as copy & pasting), while others are
easier with the mouse (scrolling, selection, resizing, etc.). There is no
reason to tell someone they shouldn't or can't use both, because the fastest
one is whichever one you are most comfortable with.

Here are some nice references with all the keyboard shortcuts for Windows
and Internet Explorer:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Keyboard-shortcuts
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Internet-Explorer-keyboard-shortcuts
--
Nathan Sokalski
njsokalski(a)hotmail.com
http://www.nathansokalski.com/

"Rosemary" <Rosemary(a)discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:3A7F341B-578A-4122-857E-9A4628F91B87(a)microsoft.com...
> Hi,
>
> We have Windows XP and use Microsoft Office 2003. We will be upgrading to
> Office 2007 the end of this year.
>
> There is an ongoing debate in my department (word processing operators)
> between those who like to use the mouse, and those who prefer keyboard
> shorcuts. Those who prefer keyboard shortcuts say it's faster than the
> mouse
> because you don't have to take your hands off the keyboard. (Those who
> use
> the mouse do also use some keyboard shortcuts; by contrast those who
> prefer
> keyboard shortcuts tend to not use the mouse at all.)
>
> The research I have done does indeed indicate that keyboard shortcuts are
> faster than the mouse. But here is my question: are keyboard shortcuts
> that
> much faster? The reason I ask is because I would like to provide a valid
> argument for those who like the mouse to continue using the mouse. I
> haven't
> seen a significant difference in productivity between those who use the
> mouse
> and those who use keyboard shortcuts.
>
> Can anyone provide me with good arguments to back up those who would like
> to
> continue to use the mouse?
>
> Many thanks,
> Rosemary
>
>
>
From: Rosemary on 20 Mar 2010 02:35
Thank you, Nathan, that is very helpful. Regards,

"Nathan Sokalski" wrote:

> Which one is "faster" actually depends more on the user, as well as what
> task you are working on at the time (are you editing text or a graphic, are
> you selecting an object or an area, etc.). You can't argue with the fact
> that you don't need to take your hands off the keyboard for keyboard
> shortcuts can make it faster. However, if you are not familiar with the key
> combinations or have trouble remembering them, looking at a reference sheet
> to use keyboard shortcuts may be more effort than it's worth. Probably the
> best argument for using the mouse is that you don't need to remember the key
> combinations and it is easier to keep track of where the cursor is while
> working. But my suggestion is to just use both, because some tasks are
> easier with keyboard shortcuts (such as copy & pasting), while others are
> easier with the mouse (scrolling, selection, resizing, etc.). There is no
> reason to tell someone they shouldn't or can't use both, because the fastest
> one is whichever one you are most comfortable with.
>
> Here are some nice references with all the keyboard shortcuts for Windows
> and Internet Explorer:
>
> http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Keyboard-shortcuts
> http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Internet-Explorer-keyboard-shortcuts
> --
> Nathan Sokalski
> njsokalski(a)hotmail.com
> http://www.nathansokalski.com/
>
> "Rosemary" <Rosemary(a)discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:3A7F341B-578A-4122-857E-9A4628F91B87(a)microsoft.com...
> > Hi,
> >
> > We have Windows XP and use Microsoft Office 2003. We will be upgrading to
> > Office 2007 the end of this year.
> >
> > There is an ongoing debate in my department (word processing operators)
> > between those who like to use the mouse, and those who prefer keyboard
> > shorcuts. Those who prefer keyboard shortcuts say it's faster than the
> > mouse
> > because you don't have to take your hands off the keyboard. (Those who
> > use
> > the mouse do also use some keyboard shortcuts; by contrast those who
> > prefer
> > keyboard shortcuts tend to not use the mouse at all.)
> >
> > The research I have done does indeed indicate that keyboard shortcuts are
> > faster than the mouse. But here is my question: are keyboard shortcuts
> > that
> > much faster? The reason I ask is because I would like to provide a valid
> > argument for those who like the mouse to continue using the mouse. I
> > haven't
> > seen a significant difference in productivity between those who use the
> > mouse
> > and those who use keyboard shortcuts.
> >
> > Can anyone provide me with good arguments to back up those who would like
> > to
> > continue to use the mouse?
> >
> > Many thanks,
> > Rosemary
> >
> >
> >
From: Susan Ramlet on 20 Mar 2010 09:46
Nathan's right: it depends on the user and the task.

For text entry, for most people, 10-finger keying is faster than mousing.

For navigating a web page, for most people, the mouse is a more efficient
way to go to and select a clickable element.

Regarding shortcuts (Ctl-X instead of Cut), they are usually faster if you
can remember them. My informal research shows that people tend to use a
combination--even in coordination. For example, I have often seen people
select text with the mouse in one hand, then use shortcuts with the left
hand.

There is a lot of research going on about input methods now, but they tend
to revolve around mobile devices, touch screens and voice. I'm sure if you
wanted to find some research, you could hunt around ACM (acm.org).

I mostly hope that you can find a way to make it easy for all of your staff
to work efficiently and not force anyone to a particular model.

--
Susan Ramlet
**please reply to the newsgroup so others may benefit**


"Rosemary" <Rosemary(a)discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:A2E6C039-8E8A-4275-A0D6-4CD8FB9662EA(a)microsoft.com...
> Thank you, Nathan, that is very helpful. Regards,
>
> "Nathan Sokalski" wrote:
>
>> Which one is "faster" actually depends more on the user, as well as what
>> task you are working on at the time (are you editing text or a graphic,
>> are
>> you selecting an object or an area, etc.). You can't argue with the fact
>> that you don't need to take your hands off the keyboard for keyboard
>> shortcuts can make it faster. However, if you are not familiar with the
>> key
>> combinations or have trouble remembering them, looking at a reference
>> sheet
>> to use keyboard shortcuts may be more effort than it's worth. Probably
>> the
>> best argument for using the mouse is that you don't need to remember the
>> key
>> combinations and it is easier to keep track of where the cursor is while
>> working. But my suggestion is to just use both, because some tasks are
>> easier with keyboard shortcuts (such as copy & pasting), while others are
>> easier with the mouse (scrolling, selection, resizing, etc.). There is no
>> reason to tell someone they shouldn't or can't use both, because the
>> fastest
>> one is whichever one you are most comfortable with.
>>
>> Here are some nice references with all the keyboard shortcuts for Windows
>> and Internet Explorer:
>>
>> http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Keyboard-shortcuts
>> http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Internet-Explorer-keyboard-shortcuts
>> --
>> Nathan Sokalski
>> njsokalski(a)hotmail.com
>> http://www.nathansokalski.com/
>>
>> "Rosemary" <Rosemary(a)discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:3A7F341B-578A-4122-857E-9A4628F91B87(a)microsoft.com...
>> > Hi,
>> >
>> > We have Windows XP and use Microsoft Office 2003. We will be upgrading
>> > to
>> > Office 2007 the end of this year.
>> >
>> > There is an ongoing debate in my department (word processing operators)
>> > between those who like to use the mouse, and those who prefer keyboard
>> > shorcuts. Those who prefer keyboard shortcuts say it's faster than the
>> > mouse
>> > because you don't have to take your hands off the keyboard. (Those who
>> > use
>> > the mouse do also use some keyboard shortcuts; by contrast those who
>> > prefer
>> > keyboard shortcuts tend to not use the mouse at all.)
>> >
>> > The research I have done does indeed indicate that keyboard shortcuts
>> > are
>> > faster than the mouse. But here is my question: are keyboard
>> > shortcuts
>> > that
>> > much faster? The reason I ask is because I would like to provide a
>> > valid
>> > argument for those who like the mouse to continue using the mouse. I
>> > haven't
>> > seen a significant difference in productivity between those who use the
>> > mouse
>> > and those who use keyboard shortcuts.
>> >
>> > Can anyone provide me with good arguments to back up those who would
>> > like
>> > to
>> > continue to use the mouse?
>> >
>> > Many thanks,
>> > Rosemary
>> >
>> >
>> >

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