# I Blame My Job for My Split Keyboard Obsession

> It's the holidays, so we wanted to share a bit about our keyboard culture at Nuon. As a team, we have cultivated a  passionate hobbyist culture around split keyboards.

Rob Bruce · 2025-12-25
Source: https://nuon.co/blog/nuon-keyboard-culture

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You wouldn’t run an ultramarathon in Vibram FiveFinger shoes if you could instead opt for cushy, cloud-like Hokas. So, if you do a lot of typing, it’s worth asking yourself if a standard-issue keyboard is the best tool for the job.

The Nuon team is heavily distributed, and from frequent communication on Slack to daily coding, there’s a constant need for a high volume of typing. For us and our needs, split keyboards are the Hokas of the typing world. Their science-fiction aesthetic is the product of their hyper-focus on ergonomics. They’re popular here because the ability to comfortably type for long periods of time perfectly aligns with Nuon's culture of heavy experimentation and optimizing every aspect of our workflow.

## A Culture of Encouragement

Split keyboards aren't cheap, and that's a real barrier for curious folks who want to dip their toes in. Worse, the ecosystem is vast. There are so many flavors out there, you can burn through several before finding one that clicks (pun intended). It's an investment of both money and time.

At Nuon, we're fortunate to have leadership that walks the walk. Our founder and CEO, Jon Morehouse, is a devoted [Kinesis Advantage2](https://kinesis-ergo.com/shop/advantage2/) user and has fostered an internal culture that encourages people to explore split keyboards. That encouragement is genuine. He's even gifted a Kinesis Advantage2 to one of our engineers in India.

The result? Roughly 40% of Nuon employees are avid split keyboard users. That's not a mandate, it's organic adoption fueled by curiosity and peer support.

## Humble Beginnings

When I joined Nuon, I was initially curious but hesitant about using a split keyboard. I had briefly used a Microsoft ergonomic keyboard before, so I understood the theoretical health benefits firsthand. But for the longest time I was stubborn and unwilling to fully dedicate myself to a split keyboard because, as a PC gamer, it felt unnatural to me for gaming. That changed as I spent less time gaming in my adult years.

![Overhead view of a black MacBook-style keyboard with visible wear on the central keys. The left and right sections of the keyboard — including modifier keys, punctuation, and function keys — are highlighted in purple, while the center keys remain uncolored. This highlights a split keyboard concept by isolating the hand zones. The layout includes standard QWERTY keys, macOS-specific modifiers like "command" and "option," and arrow keys in the bottom right.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/3jtsca34/production/7384bbd44dd560bfb93f323a635c111866fb570b-3258x1327.jpg?w=1200)

*Pinky finger responsibilities*

The strain on my right pinky from using a standard ANSI keyboard layout, especially for typing all the symbols needed as a software engineer, became a significant issue. The frequent stretches to reach symbol keys, along with the constant reaching for common keys like Shift, Delete, and Return, led to a repetitive strain injury (RSI). The pain grew so severe that I had to start using a pointing device exclusively with my left hand to give my right hand a break.

Encouraged by Jon, I spent my remote office stipend on a Kinesis Advantage 360, believing its design would address my needs. On this keyboard, frequently used keys like Delete, Return, and Tab are controlled by your thumbs rather than your pinky fingers. This shift was difficult, and my typing speed dropped to a dreadful 20 words per minute on the first day. Getting used to having my thumbs do so much more work required completely rewiring my brain.

Initially, the Kinesis 360, a modern, compact version of the Kinesis Advantage2, was great. However, this changed the first time I traveled with it. The term "compact" is relative, and having to lug it around made me seriously doubt if the split form factor was right for me. I began to feel like the expensive purchase was a mistake.

![A split ergonomic keyboard with two separate dark-gray halves placed on a wooden surface. Each half features a column-staggered key layout with sculpted keycaps for improved typing ergonomics. The left half includes keys like “Backspace,” “Command,” and “Delete,” while the right half has “Enter,” “Space,” and “Ctrl.” Both halves have a sticker featuring the "This is fine" meme — a cartoon dog surrounded by flames calmly sipping coffee. The keyboard is customized for comfort and humor, appealing to enthusiasts and remote workers.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/3jtsca34/production/b22723f2cf3cfe7c363344ea0f2e203e0ffb0e40-2473x1858.jpg?w=1200)

*My Kinesis Advantage360.*

## Split Keyboard Retry

My research into truly compact keyboards for travel led me to the [Corne keyboard](https://github.com/foostan/crkbd), an open-source keyboard. This was a tiny keyboard that required your time to learn and forced you to think about your own personal keyboard layout.

As I considered my major gripes with traditional keyboards, I began fiddling with the idea of distributing symbol keys across both hands instead of forcing my left pinky to handle all of them. This concept immediately connected dots for me. It wasn't just about coding ergonomics; it offered a solution to the RSI I'd accumulated from years of PC gaming, balancing a mouse in my right hand with modifier key gymnastics on my left. I finally had a way to bring balance to my keystrokes.

## Six to Seven Months

Moving from my Kinesis 360 to the Corne keyboard was a methodical, six-month journey. Instead of rushing the adjustment, I took my time to refine a personalized layout. The philosophy behind the Corne keyboard is elegant: no key should be more than one key away from your fingertips’ resting keys.

What drew me in even further was the 36-key variation, which allows for as little finger movement as possible.This flexibility is often enhanced by using custom firmware like ZMK, which allows users to truly customize their layout to tailor it to their personal typing style and preferences. That became my ultimate goal.

![A vibrant split ortholinear mechanical keyboard with pastel gradient keycaps ranging from pink and lavender to teal and deep purple. Each half of the keyboard is encased in a teal frame and connected by a flexible blue silicone bridge with a penguin logo in the center. The keyboard features built-in OLED displays; the left shows a layered mode interface labeled “BASE,” while the right shows a mountain and forest-themed graphic. The keyboard rests on a laptop with a colorful hexagonal logo beneath it.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/3jtsca34/production/dc541aa1dd8e1bd6b5e4d4dccdc119c1fb8dc54f-4423x2145.jpg?w=1200)

*My corne keyboard, mounted on my Mac laptop.*

I initially used a Kinesis Advantage 360 but reduced the usables keys down to 42 keys, where the physical key arrangement mimics the keymap of a 42-key Corne keyboard. Once I settled on a comfortable arrangement, I found myself constantly adjusting the configuration. It took about two months to find a keyboard config that made me confident in switching to the Corne keyboard full time. Once I switched over I started to design a smaller 36-key layout by dropping the outermost column from each half of the Corne keyboard. This final layout required another three to four months of iteration. I've accepted that the pursuit of the "perfect" layout is an ongoing process, and that continual refinement provides an endless stream of micro sparks of joy.

## Embracing Layers and Home Row Mods

To use a keyboard this small effectively, you need to be comfortable with layers. Layers are not a foreign concept; your Shift key is an example of a layer used to access uppercase letters and symbols. Another helpful comparison is the difference between a gaming joypad and a traditional keyboard and mouse. Game designers can pack the same set of actions into a joypad by leveraging techniques like layers and chording. My gaming mindset kicked in, and as a massive fan of the Steam Controller, customizing a limited set of buttons was a familiar task. With a 36-key layout, I ended up with six distinct layers:

- Base: Home row mods and basic letters

- Number (layer 1 or 2): Number row access

- Symbol (layer 3): All the brackets, operators, and punctuation

- Navigation (layer 1 & 2 held together): Arrow keys, page up/down, home/end

- Function (layer 4 or 5): F-keys and media controls

To illustrate how all the keys from a traditional keyboard can fit onto this small-form-factor keyboard, I’ll explain the three main layers: the Base, Number, and Symbol layers.

## Base layer

![A dark-themed digital layout of a custom split keyboard built using ZMK firmware. The keymap shows a QWERTY base layer with advanced modifiers and macros. Several keys use ZMK-specific functions like &kp (key press), &lt (layer tap), &mt (mod tap), &html and &hmr (home row mods). Modifier symbols like ⌃, ⇧, ⌥, and ⌘ indicate macOS-style shortcuts. The thumb clusters feature dual-function keys for ESC, TAB, and layer toggles. This layout is designed for ergonomic and efficient typing, enabling layer access and modifier use with minimal hand movement.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/3jtsca34/production/e310d7f1b79febf5cf9e1e7501b3191a6d718f6d-2741x1025.jpg?w=1200)

The base layer is active by default. I stuck with the tried and true QWERTY layout. This keeps my typing experience pure. I did not want to remap all my keys in Vim or other programs since I had already built muscle memory for them.

The base layer includes "layer taps," which are keys designated by an adjacent number and symbol or character. When tapped, they execute their assigned key function, but when held down these keys shift the keyboard to a new layer. For example, the key marked "1" acts as a backspace when tapped, but shifts to layer 1 when held. My personal preference is to use my thumbs for these layer shifts, particularly for frequently accessed layers such as numbers and symbols.

Home row mods live in the base layer. In my opinion, home row mods are nearly essential to make a layout this small work well. The idea is simple: your home row keys act as normal keys when tapped, but double as modifiers when held. Your home row keys are ASDF for your left hand and JKL; for your right hand. So, your resting fingers are already on Shift, Control, Option, and Meta without moving your fingers. The left- and right-hand home rows mirror each other on modifier key orientation. It takes some getting used to, but once it clicks, reaching to lower rows for a modifier key on a traditional layout feels ancient.

## Numbers Layer

![A digital layout visualization of a split ortholinear keyboard in dark mode, showing a numeric layer configuration. The top row includes the numbers 1 through 0, labeled with &kp (key press) commands. All other keys are labeled &trans, indicating transparent passthrough functions from another layer. The layout is symmetrical across both halves and designed for programmable firmware like ZMK or QMK, often used in custom mechanical keyboards.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/3jtsca34/production/1b465f0d4aacf1a6da85c251b5f255ac23c20e9a-3079x1187.jpg?w=1200)

*Numbers Layer*

The number layer is intentionally simple. Since the physical keyboard lacked the space for a dedicated number row, I designed the layer to be activated by holding down a thumb cluster key (typically used for backspace or space). This approach allows me to maintain the muscle memory of reaching for the upper row to input numbers.

## Symbols Layer

![Dark mode digital layout of a split mechanical keyboard showing a symbol layer. The top three rows contain common punctuation and special characters like !, @, #, $, %, ^, &, *, (, ), {}, [], <>, and others, each labeled with &kp to indicate key press actions. A few keys are marked &none or &trans, representing either disabled functions or passthrough from another layer. The layout reflects a customizable keymap for a QMK or ZMK firmware setup, commonly used in ergonomic or ortholinear keyboards.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/3jtsca34/production/563a5e9d7b5d0080a7d0e019f8a423bf43c28992-2423x914.jpg?w=1200)

*Symbols Layer*

The symbols layer is accessed by holding down either the Delete or Enter key on the thumb cluster. To promote balanced usage, symbols are distributed across both the left and right hands. For instance, the left hand manages open brackets while the right hand handles closed brackets. This equal distribution eliminates the strain of overextending the right fingers, which previously felt like an endless workout.

Refining this layer took the most time, as it was challenging to achieve a layout that felt completely intuitive for coding. Ultimately, this layer had the most significantly positive impact, substantially reducing my RSI symptoms.

A guiding principle in my layout design is maintaining familiarity: we use QWERTY, we reach up for numbers, and the placement of symbols for the shifted number row is kept exactly the same. This strategic approach ensures that my layout and daily typing tasks never overwhelm my cognitive load. It also leaves the door open for me to jump back to a traditional ANSI layout.

## Nuon Keeb Gallery

We've got quite the collection of split keyboards in the wild at Nuon. Here's a glimpse of what our team is typing on:

![A custom split mechanical keyboard with pastel gradient keycaps in pink, purple, blue, and teal tones, placed on top of a laptop with a silver-colored hexagonal logo in blue-to-pink gradient — the Nuon logo. Each keyboard half includes an OLED screen: the left displays a layer selection interface labeled “BASE,” and the right shows custom art with the word “NICEVIEW.” The keyboard uses a columnar layout with sculpted keycaps and teal top plates secured by visible screws. The setup highlights a personalized, ergonomic, and aesthetically vibrant keyboard build.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/3jtsca34/production/dc541aa1dd8e1bd6b5e4d4dccdc119c1fb8dc54f-4423x2145.jpg?w=1200)

![A clean coding workstation setup featuring a Dell ultrawide monitor displaying a split terminal interface with directory navigation on the left and command-line output on the right. Below the monitor is a closed MacBook connected to a split ortholinear mechanical keyboard with black keycaps and RGB backlighting, flanking a large Apple Magic Trackpad. The setup rests on a bright green desk mat. Additional desk items include a reusable water bottle, travel tumbler, and several coasters. Frosted windows and bare winter trees are visible in the background, suggesting a calm, focused remote work environment.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/3jtsca34/production/5ffe2d8a2e8aa2e92d494e1c8444dc6ced8204a6-1380x1035.webp?w=1200)

![A compact café workspace setup with a laptop displaying a terminal interface in a tiling window manager, connected to a full-sized Kinesis Advantage2 ergonomic keyboard. The keyboard features concave key wells and thumb clusters for improved typing comfort, with black and white keycaps. The setup is placed on a marble tabletop next to a glass of iced tea and a small business card. Outside the window, urban street scenery is visible with parked bikes, potted plants, metal chairs, and a tree partially framing the view, creating a relaxed, mobile work environment.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/3jtsca34/production/2b776bf0993ffe89550918fecb9229df08e39942-1410x1920.jpg?w=1200)

![A collection of five mechanical keyboards arranged on a light wooden desk in an office setting with frosted glass dividers. Featured keyboards include a Kinesis Advantage2 ergonomic keyboard with blue-tinted key switches in the thumb cluster, a compact gray split keyboard with thumb clusters and black keycaps, and three 60–65% custom mechanical keyboards in various color schemes—gray-on-gray, white-and-gray, and white-and-black with orange accents. The setup highlights a variety of ergonomic and enthusiast input devices, reflecting a passion for typing comfort and mechanical keyboard customization.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/3jtsca34/production/89778a2a1ea42550744e8c40dd40ff241b1506ee-2336x3139.webp?w=1200)

![A moody, backlit desk setup featuring a widescreen monitor displaying the Arch Linux neofetch system information tool, showing system specs and an ASCII art Arch logo. The background is a colorful, marbled abstract wallpaper in shades of red, orange, teal, and black. A monitor light bar illuminates the space with a warm glow, contrasting against a soft blue-lit wall. In the foreground sits a Kinesis Advantage2 ergonomic keyboard with concave key wells and blue modifier keycaps, completing a focused and visually striking Linux development workstation.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/3jtsca34/production/56daff1b460a564210235a741c63627e4ad9a4f4-2336x3105.webp?w=1200)

![A modern office desk setup featuring a white split mechanical keyboard with curved key wells and a central black trackpad on top of a large black desk mat printed with motherboard and PSU connector diagrams. To the left is a pair of white over-ear headphones resting on the desk. The setup includes a MacBook on a stand connected to a large LG monitor, both displaying a minimalist sci-fi wallpaper of a figure with a lightsaber standing against a yellow sky with two moons. In the background, a wall features a geometric Nuon logo in gradient blue and pink lines, suggesting the workspace is part of a tech or developer office.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/3jtsca34/production/81bd7d1b1e5900d051463b9fc9b950fd393fbdbd-1232x1645.jpg?w=1200)

![A minimalist coding desk setup featuring a large ultra-wide monitor displaying a split view with a blue terminal-based code editor on the left and the Arch Wiki website on the right, specifically a page about setting up Vite with React.js. Below the screen sits a white split ergonomic keyboard with backlit keys and a sculpted, tented layout. To the right is a white ergonomic trackball mouse, and to the left, a smartphone rests on a white stand. The entire setup is placed on a clean wooden desk with warm ambient lighting, emphasizing productivity and ergonomic design.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/3jtsca34/production/9decc9d550d5ddcefa5eb5cd9fad60b1fb353ed9-2436x1828.jpg?w=1200)

If you are into keyboards and want to solve hard problems, [join us](https://nuon.co/careers)!