Tech Bits: The Economics of Ergonomics

[GideonX]

Tech Bits: The Economics of Ergonomics

$1000 for a top of the line processor.  $600 for a high end video card.  Computer enthusiasts are known for spending serious money to getting every last little bit of performance out of their rig, but often this performance is wasted because they forget that that most important piece of the tech equation: the user.

The Economics of Ergonomics

[Hak Foo]

I've noticed that the feel of the keyboard is nearly as much of an ergonomic issue as the angle of keys.  Before I switched to loud keyboards (mostly IBM Ms, but a few others), I was beating my keyboards to death in 6 month intervals to get a decent click out of them.  Split keyboards do nothing for me because I type two-fingered mostly.

Also, there are cases where the ergonomic ideal is impossible.  At my last job, I had to have my screen where the client and I could both see it.  An LCD would have been awful due to viewing it at a 45 degree angle.   Of course, the CRTs were like 7 years old and also awful, but meh.  (The joke was that the company, a major tax firm, could no longer depreciate their equipment, and in fact, a lot of it had passed its 5-year life for depreciation purposes)

[YucA]

i have to agree on all aspects of this article.  When i first switched to an lcd monitor, my parents thought it was a waste of money.  After a week of having it in my room, my pops wanted one aswell.  I found him a good deal, and he loves it.  The only thing is that the native resolution makes everything a bit too small for my parents aging eyes, but i just lowered the res. and everyone on that machine is happy now...

Same deal with the KB + mouse.  I got an mx duo kb+mouse and my dad played with it a few times, and he ordered himself the lower model from logitech which finally replaced their old pre-ps/2 keyboard...

When i first got the duo, i wasnt sure i was going to like it because of the weight of the mouse.  Now, i actually think thats a good thing.

[pinkpanther]

I'm one of those people who have the cheap mouse, but I find it very comfortable.  I have rather long, spindly hands, and I could never get the feel of those smaller mice they make now.  I did notice when I purchased a wrist rest for my keyboard, that I could spend longer times playing/typing.  Also, if I take the watch off my left wrist, I can type even longer without cramping.  Now at work, they have something even better. The keybaord is suspended below the desk, and doesn't reside in a tray.  Now that is nice because my wrists don't have to rest on anything at all.  I just lay my lower arms on the chair arms, and I can type for hours.  If I ever get another computer desk, I'm going to want something like that for sure.

[Vicarious]

Ergonomics is a very big thing.  About 6 months ago, I was diagnosed with the nerd's worst nightmare, a mild case of carpal tunnel syndrome.  I am 19 years old by the way.
I want to get into the IT feild as a career, so i have to be very careful otherwise i might not be able to work with computers properly.

I think the worst thing with the computer is the mouse.  Or rather, how we use them.  I used to move the mouse with my wrist, but have upgraded to a bulky logitech, so the heel of my hand is off the table, this makes me move the mouse with my shoulder instead.  that has helped alot.
I think keyboard/mouse/user end manufactorers are doing more research into ergonomics these days, and products are getting heaps better. And with more awareness from us users, we can actively correct bad posture, mouse techniques, to benefit ourselves

[urgannagru]

i cant stress it enough, wear a wristbrace people :p itll hold your hands in the proper mousing / typing position

[tim-bit]

I've been typing on logitech keyboards with wristwrests for about 4 years now. Now whenever I have a keyboard without a wrist wrest, I simply can't type on it.

I used to just have a cheap mouse too, but now I've bought a Logitech MX3000 wireless combo a few weeks ago, though i'm still getting used to the mouse(mx600 laser) I am finding it more comfortable.

As for health problems, I do have a little pain in my left wrist after using the computer for extended periods, but I'm guessing that would be a little better if I didn't wear a watch that nearly weighs a ton.

[Dave303]

Some of the things I have going through on this subject might also make you think twice on some of the other things.


your desk is as important as the other things. My size 5'8" I need to have my desk high around 27.5 inches. Most desk you pick up at the office stores have a preset high to them. Making sure that is set right your hands will be at the right angle for typing.

I built my desk after going through 6months of pain with el-quivis wriste (the tendon attached to your thumb was not flowing throug the wriste are right). I was not able to touch the tip of my thumb to the tip of the ring finger without pain. Touching the pinky was out of the question.

Plus I was required to get a good office chair, but I also needed one with out arm rest as if you always rest your arms on them can cause some numbing in the fingers and restric blood flow.