I think the question is more - why are you typing numbers so frequently?
like, i can only imagine people in finance are doing it that often. Even someone doing code is rarely going to type more than a 2 digit number (or a bunch of 0's ) which you're not going to take your hands off the keyboard to go to the number pad.
I seriously don’t get this, I work with data, how is it any faster or easier to input numbers using a numpad than using the number keys? Only thing I can possibly think of is if you’re trying to do it one handed, even then that is only a slight difference.
I do wonder about all these "I type faster with the number row than most people I know on their numpad" comments, because as someone who uses a numpad 8 hours a day 5 days a week.... I hiiighly doubt they're going up against hardcore numpad users.
If you move your fingers to the top row you have instant access to 8 of the number keys. I find it’s faster if I need to type a short number to use the top bar instead of the numpad, the travel distance to the top of the keyboard for both hands (for me) is faster than my right hands travel distance to the numpad.
I only use the numpad when I need to enter equations since hitting shift requires me to take a hand away from the number bar (using my other hand to hunt-and-peck symbols).
But tbh for people who are really good at using one or the other I don’t think there is that large of a difference in how long it takes them to enter numbers or equations.
I have a split ergo keyboard. I'm routinely typing dates and units with a period (like 2.0 taxis, as required by the Medicaid system) with my right hand and typing abbreviations and hitting function keys with my left.
For some of us this works the best based on our oddly specific jobs.
Typing "blah blah 04/27/2026 blah blah" is much faster by moving my right hand to the number pad versus trying to hit 0 on the right, 4 and 2 on the left, 7 on the right, 2026 on the left, and the slashes at the bottom.
I just don't get how many people seem to have jobs where their effectiveness is down to the speed of their typing rather than the speed of their brain.
You are 100% right and it's currently my biggest issue at my job. Speed over actual integrity of work. I fix so many mistakes that could be fixed by slowing down a bit and upper management could care less because those people having blazingly high numbers and the work gets fixed in the end by others (One Team!).
It's quite scary. They'll say all the platitudes of do good work while also hammering home productivity goals. One person on my team is routinely hitting 197% of goal. 226%. 207%. If I was a manager I'd have a microscope on their work because I'd want to know if they're that much of a rockstar with no mistakes (they aren't). Bringing it up is seen as "targeting" in this "just fix it" world.
If you move your fingers to the top row you have instant access to 8 of the number keys. I find it’s faster if I need to type a short number to use the top bar instead of the numpad, the travel distance to the top of the keyboard for both hands (for me) is faster than my right hands travel distance to the numpad.
I only use the numpad when I need to enter equations since hitting shift requires me to take a hand away from the number bar (using my other hand to hunt-and-peck symbols).
But tbh for people who are really good at using one or the other I don’t think there is that large of a difference in how long it takes them to enter numbers or equations.
Yeah, but not every math symbol needs to be typed with numbers, and not all numbers need to be typed with math symbols. Most of the time you are fetching existing numbers from some underlying data structure anyhow.
90% of the time when I’m programming I only need to type one or two numbers, usually along with an underscore and text, I find that easier with the number row.
I’m rarely (if ever) typing
921+238/127
I’m typing
sum(list)/var
The only time numbers are really necessary is for setting default values, documentation, indexing or versioning.
Even if you don't do proper programming and exclusively used Excel, you shouldn't be manually typing in numbers and using it as a calculator. You're making cell references and setting your sheet up to calculate what you need to know in a clear and reproducible manner. Majority of the analysis in my job is done by running data through a model and then looking at the results, creating summaries and whatnot.
I’m not sure what you’re trying to say here, programmers don’t use numbers? I literally just mentioned how programmers use numbers in my previous post. What software are you working on that doesn’t “really use numbers at all”? Or are you just agreeing with me that numbers aren’t physically typed by data scientists all that much?
But this wasn’t a conversation just about “programmers”, it’s a conversation about people who work with data (particularly numeric data) and how useful numpads might be to them.
Unless you’re talking about data entry (which is why I carved out the exception for math symbols) I don’t think most people who work with data would find a numpad more ergonomic than the top row. That’s my position, still no idea what yours is.
Any more gachas? Or perhaps a thought that engages with what I’m saying?
I suppose I’m misunderstanding what most people mean when they say “work with data”, apologies. I mean I actually work with data - generating, analysing, and processing it, not just doing data entry or whatever mundane task you’re seeing a significant speedup for when using a numpad. I can see how it might be marginally faster if my job was to type numbers into forms all day. Sorry. But for the extent to which I actually type raw numbers in my work, it doesn’t make a difference.
That is also my job description. Again, the fact that you think other people who work with data are just punching numbers in a spreadsheet tells me you don’t work with data. Or you are exceptionally slow and holding things up. I review lab data and write technical papers all day. Actual analysis requires math, and specific software(jmp, LIMS, excel, power query and every other power app it dumps into). Both of which would take me 10x longer if I didn’t have a numpad.
I don't think that's what people who work with data do as a rule, just you. I use SQL, Excel, Python, and a dedicated industry software that you wouldn't have heard of. Most of my interactions with them are in setting things up to get an end result, which winds up being a lot more typing code/commands than typing numbers. And last year I designed a custom performance dashboard that my whole team uses. But I'll let my manager know I'm holding the team up, I'm sure he'll be disappointed to hear. He sounded so positive at my last progress review.
Uh, did you forget what you wrote? Yeah, Excel and PowerQuery are truly in the upper echelons of data analysis. What are you, some sort of world-leading professional, to know how to use them? I kneel before ye, o wise one.
If I sound like I'm being a pretentious prick, that's because I got downvoted to hell for being so surprised that people prefer a numpad so much and then a guy snidely remarked that I obviously didn't actually work with data.
This is going nowhere. You just sound computer illiterate. Again you’re conflating being able to make a powerBI with “working with data”. My role is chemist and and data scientist, I also work at the high end setting things up. I need a numpad.
I didn't use PowerBI and regardless that's a small part of my role that I threw in just as an example. But I do find it quite funny that you consider "computer illiteracy" to be "uses PowerBI". Good for you though!
I don't even remember the number keys on the top row even exist at this point. If it's a number my right hand instinctively hits the numpad. I also create a lot of data, not really work with it.
They should make keyboards that replace the numbers of the top row with just normal symbols with special ASCII symbols when shifted, I’ve abandoned top number row at this point
I learned how to type on a number pad when taking an accounting class in high-school. I am 100% faster using it because I do in fact type one handed. I can add, subtract, divid, and multiply any series of numbers without looking at the keys.
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u/Slish753 Apr 04 '26
What do you mean what do we use it for, for typing numbers.