Here's an article explaining all the process (in spanish)
First keyboard layout 100% made for spanish language, created by Nick Gutiérrez with help of veteran authors of popular keyboard layouts and the feedback of real users. It also works with catalan, basque... and all kind of spanish dialects. It's a work in progress.
If you encounter any bug or mistake, be sure to leave feedback.
Why did I made a fully optimized spanish layout?
I just discovered there wasn't a single specialized layout in my language, and since I work all day long typing in spanish, it seemed logical to look for a solution myself on my free time. Since I'm only a writer and a psychologist obsessed with productivity, I've asked help and tips to experts and keyboard layout specialists and analysts, who made some of the best layouts in the world for the english language: Colemak, Engram... and finally, I'm here with a solution.
The AEIOU name is based in the fact that all vowels are only on one side of the keyboard. It also resembles the easyness of typing with this keyboard layout once you practice for a few days. Indeed, I could achieve 20 wpm just in the first bunch of tests (without memorization of keys), which is faster than most other layout's beginning.
- Faster typing: Efficient and optimized for writing most frequent spanish words, with less finger traveling, avoiding same finger bigrams. Be aware that this is not a layout designed for programmers, but for general use and writing words.
- Ergonomical: You will feel like you almost don't move your fingers from home row to write most words.
- For everyone: It doesn't matter which kind of keyboard you have, even ANSI keyboards have their own version (spanish typers were limited to ISO only keyboards), so you can buy whatever strange mechanical keyboard you stumble upon without any hesitation.
- More intuitive: In qwerty, you have to push two separate buttons to create questions, which begin with ¿ and end with ?. In this layout you will naturally write better, because almost all questions will begin with capital letters and the shift key will activate opening punctuations (both for ¿?, ¡! and () ).
- Numbers away!: When most writers write, they don't put numbers, but if they do they mostly use the numpad. Even though, I have a 60% and I know there's a need for numbers in the main keyboard, so I made punctuation more accessible and put numbers in the third layer instead ¡In Mac version (not Windows currently, due to software limitations) you can put numbers with Bloq Mayus!
This is a keyboard layout inspired by the following layouts:
- Dvorak: The idea of using the most common letters to create an optimized layout.
- Colemak: General guidelines given by the author and variants.
- BÉPO: The french idea of adding accented characters, which indeed are very common.
- Engram: The idea of adding punctuation in the middle of the home row, which is pretty efficient due to high frecuency on , and . in spanish
- HIEAMTSRN: The base layout where all the ideas were implemented and tested
When you install it on Mac (the Windows 1.3 version should be valid for both), there's two versions, depending on which kind of keyboard you have: ISO or ANSI.
This is the usual layout on european countries keyboards. The extra key is ü, which is one of the less typed letters in spanish, and can be also made with alt+ú or by ¨+u
This is the usual layout for american countries keyboards, one key less.
Windows Install: aeiou151.zip
Mac Install: AEIOUv1.5.1 Mac Install.zip
To install it on Windows, you need to execute the setup.exe file just after unzipping it.
To install it on Mac, you only need to download the .zip file, unzip it and execute the .bundle and then restart your Mac. Then, you should be able to change the keyboard layout by going to Preferencias del sistema>Teclado>Fuentes de entrada, clicking "+" and selecting your layout under spanish language.
This layout has been made following all the requirements of a good layout, following both Engram and Colemak keyboard layout building criteria, and using several keyboard analyzers (not only one) as well as the tips and review of expert builders.
Here is a description with all the process.
I would recommend to learn touch typing to any writer. If you don't touch type with all your fingers, be sure to positionate your fingers on the home row and reach each key from there.
Learning a new layout is usually a long process. If you want to master this layout as soon as posible, I recommend you to have an on-screen keyboard picture that will guide you were all letters are. Every OS has inbuilt this option. For example, in Windows you can open "Teclado de pantalla" or "On-screen keyboard".
To practice, I recommend https://monkeytype.com/ which is an awesome website with random spanish text. There's a huge variety of options online.
If you want a course, you can always test and train your muscle memory on https://type-fu.com/. You will only need files for adding spanish words and your custom layout (in preferences, choose new custom keyboard/words and import file. You have all needed files here: AEIOU 1.5.1 TypeFu.zip
I decided to mix Engram-ES with AEIOU features. It's called "Teclado En Llamas", regarding a blog I've created related to freelance writing in spanish.
- 1.0: Initial release
- 1.1: Big bug solving (thanks for your feedback)
- 1.2: Inclusion of special characters and change in punctuation placing
- 1.3: BIG changes in punctuation and layout optimization. AEIOU zxcv is erased due to priorization of efficiency and there's two new versions of the keyboard: AEIOU ISO and AEIOU ANSI, now you can type in spanish with any keyboard!
- 1.4: After some tests and feedback we are disabling duplicated symbols on alt+shift layout. Windows version fixed (it wasn't updated) and also changed K for Z, ¡more comfortable typing experience!
- 1.5: Important changes:
- There have been some feedback regarding E and O being too near and giving a poor typing experience. After some research and testing, we have made a little change that will be significative. In order to make the keyboard more efficient and avoid common mistakes while typing, I've swapped E by A (and É/Á) for a better learning experience. It will give some distance with O, which was often confused by E in some words (it happened to me, too). In analysis of the new variation, it also gave a less same-finger bigram frequency, so it's a Win-win!
- After listening to some personal feedback, when you click "Bloq Mayus" now you are activating number mode, so it's a second option for people that didn't liked the ctrl+alt layer, which can be painful to use in ANSI. In other words, we made the layout even more compatible with all keyboards!
- 1.5.1: Micro changes: Making the layout more accesible for catalan language by putting characters with open accent on the key dedicated for them (on third layer) and adding Ç behind Ñ key (special for his language). Also a minus change in number row ¡Thanks for your feedback, Miguel!
- Added TecladoEnLlamas variant
- Miguel Guzmán. I started researching a spanish layout with him. He gave me a lot of good tips, feedback and some tech background, so he deserves some credit for this layout.
- Colemak community: Specially DreymaR for his expert help, also to Renato and CTGAP.
- Subreddit r/KeyboardLayouts: Where I've find a lot of people who has the same rare taste that I have. A lot of people helped in the process. Specially u/iandoug for his tips and his awesome tool KLAnext.
- HIEAMTSRN project: The new layout started as a variant of this one, but evolved into something very different.
- KLAnext analyzer: Which was the most useful tool I've come across to analyze keyboard layouts, even though I've used a few.
- Thank you for your feedback: Aurora Muñoz, David Ibañez, Alberto Gómez, Maria Lloveras, Victor Núñez, Francisco Núñez, Alberto Ibañez.