Fact · Typing and writing speed
35.7words per minute
In the Palin study, people who had taken a touch typing course for desktop keyboards averaged 35.7 words per minute on phones, slightly slower than the 36.4 of those who had not.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“users who reported to have taken a touch typing course for typing on desktop keyboards were slightly slower (M = 35.7, SD = 13.4) than those who reported to not have taken such a course (M = 36.4, SD = 13.1)”
How do People Type on Mobile Devices? Observations from a Study with 37,000 Volunteers, Kseniia Palin et al., Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (MobileHCI 2019), 2019, Results, typing training.
Open the original- What it measures
- The course was for desktop keyboards, and the test was on the participants' own phones.
- What it does not show
- The difference is small, although statistically significant. Self-reported course-taking in an online sample.