As a software company we obviously carry out a lot of computer/desk-based work. In fact it’s fair to say that we are true desk jockey’s – masters of indoor enthusiasm! As a result of that, the working environment and equipment we use to carry out our job is key to good productivity and overall work happiness.
Whilst I could bark on about such topics as ergonomics, keyboards, mice, desks, chairs, PC specifications, and other such IT snobbery – I won’t. Not because you’ll get bored, but in reality I’m of the opinion that the most important aspect of your desk set-up is your monitor/screen.
There are many times I’ve sat with a client at their desk and been blown away by the size of their screens. Not in a good way. I’ve been to plenty of FTSE-100 companies that have plush HQ’s, swanky interior designs, canteens, thorough branding running through all internal assests, escalators, and everybody has a 15” screen…! What is that all about?
I believe that as a minimum, anybody who has a desk-based job where they sit at a PC for most of their day should have a 19” monitor at their desk. Absolute worst – case a 17” monitor – anything less than this should be considered criminal!
In an ideal world, any desk-based ‘power-user’ or ‘information-worker’ should have two monitors – this is NOT just the domain of the computer programmers. Before you stop reading and tell me what a geek I am, or how unrealistic this is in a corporate environment, please read on.
The arguments for:
- most people read a source document whilst composing some kind of output/report
- most people have their email client (mostly Outlook/Notes) open whilst doing something else – writing a document/using spreadsheets.
- most people copy and paste between two applications/documents
- most people now multitask without even realising it
- Er, you’ve got two eyes, two ears, two arms, etc. – why not have two monitors? (yes, that’s a weaker argument!)
In essence, anybody who spends most of their time doing even one of the above should have two monitors – they will benefit from this in terms of productivity and happiness.
The arguments against:
- Desk space
- PC capability – can your PC actually do this?
- Cost
OK, let’s knock these off one at a time…
Desk space – if your poor desk couldn’t stand another monitor then you’re probably out of luck. However, most corporate desks will easily fit two 19” monitors.
Can your PC actually cope with this? In reality, probably not – well, not straight away. In the ‘old days’ in order to “go dual-display” you’d need to get a new graphics card, not something a corporate IT team would want to do for you. However, if your PC is relatively up-to-date it might have two monitor sockets – or one socket that can handle two monitors. If not, there’s an awesome solution on the market which is a USB plug-and-play second monitor adapter from the likes of Matrox or Kensington. These little beauties cost around £100 and you literally plug one in and away you go! No IT experience, no technical know-how.
Well cost is also NOT an issue. Sure, if you really care about a good quality screen, you will probably buy a top-of-the-line Iiyama monitor. However, I wouldn’t recommend that – firstly because a corporate IT department will never buy one – they will already be tied in to buying Dell or HP kit. A couple of years ago we migrated away from Dell, to HP, but in fairness to Dell their monitors were very good AND very cheap. Similarly, with HP. You can buy a 19” compliant, corporate-friendly, monitor for around £150 from HP, or similarly from Dell for £200.
So, there we have it – a worst case cost of £400 to get you two 19” monitors on your desk. Is that a lot of money? Well, compared to other corporate spends, I don’t think so!
- Mike
