QUESTION:
Mark Taylor was unbelieveably fast and accurate in his podcast.  Mark, if you’re listening, I hope you share any thoughts or tips on how a person can improve speed/accuracy.  You hit the right letter, the first time, every single time!   I was amazed!  I consider myself to be a pretty good typist, but not on the iPhone. LOL!

Kim

ANSWER:
Hello Kim and thank you. 

I will be glad to share some tips with you:

Oh!  By the way, I recently published a podcast on how to enter text on iPhone 3GS in which I offer some suggestions on how to increase typing speed.  If you get a chance, take a listen, OK? 

As for me, I find myself either entering letters with one hand or using my left thumb in conjunction with my right index finger.  Keep in mind that I am left handed.  Also, I completely support the iPhone in my left hand at all times; this leaves my right hand free to float above the virtual keyboard.

To increase typing speed, I suggest the following: 

1.
Use an extremely light touch when entering text.  This will reduce finger fatigue which will necessarily increase accuracy.  Remember, the harder you press on the display, the more energy you expend and the longer it will take you to move your finger to the correct location.  The more energy you expend, the less accurate you will become and the more frustrated you will get.  This can be a very vicious cycle, so beware. 

2.
You may be too young to remember but, once upon a time, there was such a thing as a manual typewriter.  Fortunately, I hardly remember them, myself.
I must have been 9 years old when I last saw such a device.  The reason I mention manual typewriters is because one of the guiding principles was that, in order to gain speed and accuracy, one must be consistent in typing rhythm.  This means that you must type only as fast as you can while keeping a steady rhythm even when making corrections.  So, when you’re typing on the iPhone, try to keep a steady rhythm even when tapping the [Delete] key.

3.
Kim, as I mentioned in a podcast, it is very helpful to have the iPhone in a case that covers all but the display screen on the front of the unit.
This will reduce wandering fingers from tapping non-interactive surfaces. 

4.
Learn to hold the iPhone the same way, when entering text.  If you can do this, your mind will begin to form what I call “relative location patterns and targets.”  Think about when you dial a traditional touch tone telephone.
Half the time, I’ll bet you don’t even think about what your fingers are doing, they just do it, yes?  If you can learn to hold the iPhone at a consistent pitch and tilt, the same subconscious memory patterns will form for the virtual keyboard as they do for a traditional touch tone telephone keypad. 

5.
As you practice, understand that it is quite possible to select 1, 2, 3, or even 4 keys from one location without having to move your finger from its current position on the virtual keyboard.  This can be done by learning to roll your typing finger in different directions and by learning to use different sections of your typing finger to make virtual key selections. 

6.
Kim, do not be afraid of making mistakes.  Left unchecked, the fear of making a mistake will cause you to make a mistake, a self fulfilling prophecy, so to speak.

7.
Like I, when entering text on iPhone, think of your fingers as ice skaters sliding across marvelously glowing ice.  By this, I mean focus on moving your fingers across the virtual keyboard with delicately flowing determination, emphasizing grace and form.
Kim, when I first purchased my iPhone, I was aware of none of these principals.  To be honest, my first few days entering text truly depressed me for I felt as though, proverbially speaking, I had bitten off more than I could chew. 

Slowly, very, very slowly, I began to fathom the techniques I listed above and this is why I appear to be quite speedy.  Please understand that there is no magic here.  My speed is merely the product of mental discipline that anyone can achieve.

Finally, Kim, please do not allow the ambition of speed to dilute your enjoyment of the moment; for moments are all we have. 

If you can remember to appreciate what you have accomplished with the passage of each moment, then you will have gained much more than speed; you will have gained insight into the mystery that is the human condition.

Most Sincerely,

Mark