Research shows bigger screens are better

Author: Gareth Halfacree
Published: 11th March 2008
Comments (25) Stumble
Research shows bigger screens are better

The study shows you should buy bigger monitors than you think you need - 24" should be about right.

If you're looking for a way to convince your boss to plump up the readies to get you a new monitor for your workstation, then you'll be interested in research carried out by the University of Utah.

The group ran a series of tests to determine how quickly users were able to perform common office tasks such as word-processing and swapping numbers around in spreadsheets. The test subjects were given one of three systems to play with: an 18” monitor, a 24” monitor, and a dual-display configuration of two 20” monitors. All the monitors were made by NEC, who funded the research and – it must be said – has something of a vested interest in selling the biggest and best in display technology.

The results were interesting, with the 24” users beating the 18” brigade by a not unimpressive 52 percent. The users given two 20” displays beat the 18” baseline by 44 percent.

The conclusion drawn from the study is that switching to a larger monitor could give you a gain of two and a half hours of productivity savings. The reality is a little more prosaic, however: the study assumes that everyone will work a full eight hours a day non-stop doing things which the study highlighted as benefiting from the additional screen real estate. Even so, the research indicates that however much time you do spend at those spreadsheets and text documents can be reduced by upping your inchage.

And aren't we all about the inchage?

Will you be trying this tactic next time you're negotiating for a hardware refresh, or are you still waiting for your boss to admit that TFTs might be a good idea after all? Share your thoughts over in the forums.
Quote Woodstock 11th March 2008, 08:06
tell my bank account that, it wont agree atm
Quote Mankz 11th March 2008, 08:23
I'm ahead of the game then.
Quote Spaceraver 11th March 2008, 08:32
I have enough inches. :D But i might need a bigger monitor.
Quote Xtrafresh 11th March 2008, 08:52
"It's not the size that counts, it's what you do with it." is what i hear people say.

I say: I can do more with a bigger one! :D




... yes, ofcourse i am talking about monitors, why do you ask? This thread is about monitors! Monitors goddarnit! :D
Quote Mentai 11th March 2008, 08:56
Guffaw
Quote [USRF]Obiwan 11th March 2008, 09:52
So basicly: of you have a 24" monitor you can doe 2.5 hours work in a hour. If i work 8 hours a day for a half year i did a half years worth of work and go on vacation the other half...
Quote Krikkit 11th March 2008, 11:29
I agree with this completely - when I'm doing some work at home for uni that involves multiple documents and web pages I can spread them around on this monitor.

The university's cluster PC's have too small a resolution to have 2 pages abreast on-screen, so there's constant tabbing around for what you want to read.
Quote kenco_uk 11th March 2008, 11:37
The price needs to tumble down before I invest in a 24", fo sho.
Quote TreeDude 11th March 2008, 12:28
My office has spent quite a bit of money adding second 19" monitors to the majority of it's claims and personal lines departments (I work for an insurance company) to increase productivity. The majority of people love the extra room and do feel more productive. Money well spent.
Quote Firehed 11th March 2008, 13:03
Quote:
Originally Posted by kenco_uk
The price needs to tumble down before I invest in a 24", fo sho.

You do realize that the study is aimed at business owners, right?
Quote whisperwolf 11th March 2008, 13:06
as the only double screen user in the office, I'm therefore the most efficient and least likely to make errors out of the 70 odd people, time to ask for that raise. And with scientific proof to back me up how can I fail
Quote 1ad7 11th March 2008, 15:13
I loved my 22", even going from a 19" and getting the 42" even with the text being a little different and the fact it was daunting in size, It really does make things a little easier, up the scroll speed. I think at a minimum you need to be able to open two full size word documents or spreadsheets up at the same time or its just not big enough for work.
Quote naokaji 11th March 2008, 15:16
Quote:
Originally Posted by Firehed
You do realize that the study is aimed at business owners, right?

yup, which means we need to talk about quality monitors, not cheap TN panels, so bring on the 30" beasts from EIZO and the likes:D
Quote bahgger 11th March 2008, 17:34
So this article has helped me get a new monitor. I had no idea it'd be this effective!
Quote Amon 11th March 2008, 18:02
I run two monitors and I'm still out of room and still unproductive. I need a couple more to keep up with my megatasking blitz :D
In the past, I ran an NEC 6FGp with a 2048x1536 desktop and got really good at task-switching (Alt+Tab) extremely fast. Now I just crank up my mouse resolution and click the windows manually. But there's never enough space to fit the windows.
Quote notatoad 11th March 2008, 22:17
last time a survey that said this came out, i added a 22" to my 17". does this survey mean i should add a 30" to my desk as well?
Quote Nexxo 11th March 2008, 22:20
30" is cheesecake. Take it from someone who knows. I find it way easier to do things on my home rig than on the pathetic 15" or 17" screens we have at work (then again, having a really good SMP PC also helps).
Quote LordPyrinc 11th March 2008, 23:23
While, I've never worked with mulitple monitors, I do feel frustrated at work with a 17in monitor. Currently running a 22in widescreen at home. Unfortunately, my company does not furnish the offsite hardware and I'm stuck with what I have. I just wish I could purchase my own flat panel and bring it in. I would definitely be much more productive.
Quote Woodstock 12th March 2008, 00:14
having had a look at a couple of demo model screen (up to 24in) i would have to i think 30 would be too big for me liking, however a decent 24 is tempting (they only had cheap acers and the like on display, running from a crap source), maybe after i sell my car.
Quote yodasarmpit 12th March 2008, 00:22
I spend about 70% of my day at work head deep in Excel spreadsheets, an increase in real estate would be a great boost, more on the screen rather than having to scroll around all the time.
Quote geekster 12th March 2008, 03:08
I'm must be doing well then, desk at work looks like this:

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k215/geeksteruk/desk.jpg

In truth, i was in a team of 8 and 6 folk quit so i started acquiring hardware, since we had to pick up the slack no one complained and i've kept them ever since :)
Quote docodine 12th March 2008, 03:16
Glad to see a Diablo II fan. :P

My 17" just broke, so I'll eventually have to get a new one.. Probably won't be for a while though. Samsung has some good deals running by us.
Quote whiteMufasa 12th March 2008, 15:08
I read the article and found it particularly relevant as my office wants to setup about 50 users with dual monitor setups...
i read through the press release linked in the article but could not find any information about the single 24" monitor outperforming the dual monitors... any idea where I can find the study to read over..?
Quote Orlix 13th March 2008, 10:10
hmm... size... actually the resolution also helps. I just went at work form a nice 1600x1400 resolution to a 1280x800 and it hurt. I have less work area even though the actual screen size remained the same. Web pages are a pain as they now need the whole screen and it makes it harder to switch between screens.
Quote naokaji 13th March 2008, 15:43
Quote:
Originally Posted by geekster
I'm must be doing well then, desk at work looks like this:

Cisco phones FTW
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