After switching to niri a few months back, I found myself wanting a better keyboard layout that made access to Ctrl (for app-level shortcuts) and Super (for OS commands) highly accessible. My old keyboard (a Das Keyboard Model S that I got off craigslist) was perfectly adequate, but I wanted to explore the options for a more customized configuration.

This led me down a bit of a rabbit hole, but I was pleased with the result, so I thought I'd share.

Goals

Before choosing a keyboard or layout, I had a number of different goals I was aiming towards:

• Fewer unused keys: Scroll Lock and Pause Break aren't necessary for me
• Comfortable access to modifiers: Ctrl and Super being the priorities
• vim keybind support: I don't use vim itself that often, but I set other editors to use vim keybindings, so need Esc to be easily accessed
• niri navigation tools: the default bindings for manipulating windows and workspaces are fine, but easier access would be better
• Better data entry numpad: numerical entry is much easier with a numpad, but the numpad lacks any other data entry keys
• Useful F-row shortcuts: media/hardware controls configured to what I use most frequently
• Close to standard layouts: this is partially for anyone else who might need to use my keyboard, but also because I use other keyboards and don't want to have wildly different muscle memory

Hardware and Software

I ended up purchasing a System76 Launch Heavy. I was also considering the Keychron Q13 Pro, but I don't like using a wrist rest, and it looked too tall to use without one.

The keycaps were from Yuzu, planned with their custom design tool.

The software configuration was primarily achieved through a custom QMK keymap and my niri config.kdl file, though I use keyd for running a few custom scripts to handle some of the F-key shortcuts.

Key Configuration

Replacing Caps-Lock

I do actually use Caps Lock with moderate frequency. Mostly for data input or similar where all-caps is expected, less so for yelling on the internet. Still, the idea of reserving the prime real-estate of its typical position for these obscure use-cases is absurd. I chose to replace this with a Mod-Tap Ctrl/Esc button. Ctrl for easy keyboard shortcuts (much more comfortable than reaching down with the pinky to either of the typical Ctrl locations) and Esc for vim-style input and for controlling focus.

While vim-style editing was my initial reasoning for adding the Esc key here, it's remarkably useful beyond that. I've found numerous instances of interfaces where exiting a certain focus requires either using the mouse or pressing Esc (for example, using Ctrl-f on chrome brings up a search with the keyboard, but Esc is required to exit search).

I did keep Caps Lock readily available as Shift+Shift. Hard to do accidentally, but easy to remember when needed.

Function Key Row

I opted to dedicate the top row to common shortcuts and controls, moving the F-keys to a secondary layer. I always liked the idea of having easy access to controls, but my experience has always been similar to when TV remotes have dedicated buttons to specific smart-applications or services: cool if you use those a lot, but wasted if they're not tuned exactly to your needs.

Customizing these helped focus on what I actually use most frequently, but I also tried to keep them generic enough to not be specific to my hardware or software. Hopefully the icons are self-explanatory for most, but here's the list:

• Screen Lock
• Mute
• Volume down
• Volume up
• Swap audio output (headphones/speakers)
• Mute/Unmute microphone
• Hide/Unhide camera
• Media back
• Media play/pause
• Media forward
• Backlight toggle
• Full screen toggle
• Print-screen

Extra Symbols

There are a handful of symbols that I appreciate having quick access to beyond those typically present on a keyboard. I've used the degree symbol (°) enough that I don't have to look up that it's U+00B0 (or Alt+0176 on windows). Having direct access to that and a few other common symbols without having to look them up is a nice perk that doesn't really cost anything except some slightly more cluttered keycaps. I probably only needed a few of these, but opted to add:

• center dot: ·
• ellipsis: …
• superscript 2 and 3: ² and ³
• arrows: ← → ↑ ↓
• degree symbol: °
• en and em dashes: – —
• open and closing double and single quotes: “ ” and ‘ ’

Split Space Bar

This was one of the key features I was looking for when trying to find a keyboard. I type spaces almost exclusively with my right thumb, and wanted to enable using my left thumb for a common modifier. Since I already had Ctrl in the typical Caps Lock location, I opted to let my left thumb act as a Super modifier. I have all my window/workspace navigation keybinds using Super, along with a few other shortcuts for things like albert.

I tried this for a bit, and very much liked it, but opted to change the left key to a Mod-Tap Super/Space as I found myself still wanting to type a space with my left thumb on occasion, usually if my right hand was using the mouse.

Bottom Row

I actually kept most of the bottom row fairly standard. I don't use the bottom right mod keys very often, so left them to a fairly standard set of Super, Alt, and Ctrl. I left the left Alt key the same for Alt-Tab navigation, but the other three keys are a bit more interesting.

Layer

This is mostly for toggling the F-key row between their media/shortcut uses and standard F-keys, but I opted not to call it Fn since I also use that layer to have access to some less common keys like Insert, or Scroll Lock (in the rare case an application has a need for those specifically).

Compose

While I'm unfortunately monolingual, I have actually found myself getting a ton of use out of the compose key. I appreciate being able to easily spell names with their proper diacritics, and, as I've recently been learning a bit about Old English, having quick access to þ, ð, or æ has saved a lot of annoying copy-and-pasting when looking up words or phrases.

Magic

This one's just a bit of fun, and I might swap this out for something else later, but it currently launches Hexecute. I also have it set as Mod-Tap for use as an extra Ctrl key. This is mostly so anyone else (or myself) using the keyboard will find their copy/paste muscle memory working.

Numpad

Like a standard numpad, it has two modes controlled by a Num Lock key: one for data entry and another for window navigation. (the key actually toggles a custom layer, not actually sending numlock, but the labelling made sense)

Number Mode

Three noteworthy tweaks here, all related to navigation when performing data entry (or other calculations):

• Tab: using the Enter key for submitting a typed number can cause problems with accidental form submission or navigating downwards in a spreadsheet instead of horizontally. Easy access to the Tab key allows for one-handed spreadsheet entry in both dimensions.
• Esc: when modifying a spreadsheet cell, if I want to undo a current edit, Esc will both undo any incomplete changes and stay focused on the current cell.
• Backspace: the main Backspace key isn't far from the number pad, but having it in the corner makes it easy to jump to while typing.

Window Navigation

I do most window/workspace navigation using gestures on a touchpad, but I appreciate having a dedicated, single-handed option for all window movement and resizing options.

In this mode I have the 0 key set as a Ctrl modifier, which allows for an impressively large array of operations:

• Selecting windows (left, right, up, down)
• Moving windows (left, right, up, down)
• Merging/unmerging windows (left, right)
• Switching Workspaces (up, down)
• Moving windows to a different workspace (up, down)
• Cycling between default window sizes
• Growing/Shrinking windows (vertically, horizontally)
• Toggling tiling vs floating for a window
• Toggling tabbing for merged windows
• Closing a window

This is just about the full range of niri window commands, all usable one-handed!

Impressions

I've very much enjoyed feeling in control of the design decisions for a device I use so often. Uniformity for something as pervasive as keyboards is still valuable, but it's a wonder to me that certain standards (like the Caps Lock location or the inclusion of Pause Break) have persisted.

I did make one minor revision already: I originally had the 'close window' key not require any modifier, and exited applications accidentally a few times. Thankfully, that was just a software fix to fix.

I also did purchase a few additional keycaps in case I want to adjust in the future:

• 4 "Macro" keys if I opt to remove the Home, Page Up, Page Down, and End keys
• Dedicated keys for Power and Menu
• Different sizes for Delete, Lock, Escape and some modifier keys to allow reorganizing