Ben Ezzell
Author /
Software Engineer
The request I received
from Borders for an article or biographical notes included the suggestion
"write the jacket blurb you've always wanted to appear on your
books". Well, seeing as more than a few of the jacket blurbs appearing on my
more than twenty computer titles already incline me to a bashfully ruddy
complexion, writing an "ideal" blurb hardly seemed like an attractive
prospect. Therefore, if you are interested in biographical or professional
background or in details about my titles, may I simply offer a link to my website while I use this space for
a more interesting topic. (Please do, however, visit my site and have a look
around. In addition to personal vita, you will also find a few fictional
efforts for your amusement - just check the bookshelf.)
A
Few Thoughts On Computer Ergonomics
The fact that you are reading this is a reasonably sound basis for assuming that you are computer literate and probably computer-oriented as well. And the chances are that many of you remember – it wasn’t that long ago – when computers were room-sized (or larger), when keypunch machines were the standard input devices and teletypes were the standard display devices. At this same time, the major portion of the task of writing a program was done at your desk, either planning the application or debugging the results, and the task of keying the instructions into cards was a minor task.
Today, of course, with 17" and larger CRTs, with the computers themselves tucked under the desk and with the computer mouse as important as the keyboard (or often more so), why is it that most computer users remain firmly planted in the early years of the 20th century?
Many of you wear tennis or jogging shoes even at work, insist on comfortable clothes rather than suits and ties, go to health clubs for exercise, ride bicycles to work, would scream at the thought of being expected to work in a coal mine and raise havoc at the smallest failure of the ventilation in your offices or cyber-cubicles.
So why – day after day – do you place yourselves in a position more reminiscent of a subtle medieval torture than an appropriate circumstance for fruitful work?
When the mechanical typewriter was first invented, the need to bringing the keys to bear on the paper with sufficient force to produce an imprint demanded a variety of solutions. In some early models, a foot petal was used to provide the force to strike each key. In other cases, some form of lever – separate from the key selection – was used.
Very quickly, however, typewriters were made lighter and less complicated, finally arriving at the point where they could even be portable and, most important, the mechanisms could be operated by finger pressure only while still producing sufficient impact to produce a reasonably clear impression on the paper.
But the sheer weight of the typewriters – largely because of the heavy frames necessary to keep the mechanical elements in correct and delicate alignment, even for modern light-weight units – still demanded placing typewriters on a desk (or table). At the same time, in order for the users to be able to apply adequate force to the keys, a certain posture was also necessary. All of these were purely mechanical factors – matters of applied force and the action of levers (including the bones in your arms and the arrangement of your muscles). For typewriters, such posture was simply dictated by necessity.
However, with computers – where the keyboard is not connected to a mechanical platen and where sheer weight does not demand a firm supporting surface – why in the name of all reason do so many of you, when you sit down at your computer, place yourselves in a posture firmly reminiscent of a typist at the turn of the century. The keyboard is placed on a desk or table, the monitor is immediately behind the keyboard and you are seated – back straight and feet on the ground – with your arms in a position reminiscent of a preying mantis, wrists bent and hands hooked as if to attack the keys and your eyes focused myopically in the near distance.
This is exactly the posture required for a Underwood Upright Model 5 or an ancient Royal where heavy pressure is required to operate the mechanical linkages and force metal keys to impact a sheet of paper. Perhaps the only practical way this situation could worsen would be to place the monitor and keyboard on a taller shelf and to stand upright while working.
Point: the myopic viewing distance with the lit screen filling your view could not be better designed to maximize eyestrain, to produce muscle tensions in the neck and shoulders and immobilize your normally varying field of view. Pause for a moment and ask yourself: Would you view TV with such a fixed intensity and from such a perspective?
Point: the bent and angled wrists were necessary when operating a typewriter. This is not a typewriter and you are not linked by rigid mechanical mechanisms to the device itself. Why court carpal tunnel syndrome, tired arms, sour shoulders and back strain by remaining in the early twentieth century?
It simply isn’t necessary!
And here are a few cures. Any one of these can
greatly relieve your stress and risk of injury … and can be accomplished
without risk of severe strain on your pocket book
Eye Strain:
You do not need to work with your nose pressed against the computer screen. An optimum distance from the screen for most viewers is the middle distance, around 48 inches from the screen to your nose. If you are myopic or suffer from other vision problems, consult your optometrist about having a set of progressive vision glasses or even single vision glasses cut for a 48" working distance. (Yes, I know, your desk isn’t that deep and where will your keyboard go? Read on, please.)
From Windows 95 or Windows NT, select the Settings / Control Panel / Display. Select the Settings tab from the Display dialog and under Font Size, select Large Fonts. Also, in your email, word processor, spread sheets, etc, select a larger font size.
If you are using a 14" monitor, move up to a 17" monitor. This fix will cost you a few dollars … but it’s a lot cheaper than feeding a seeing-eye dog. Also, you may want to change your monitor’s display resolution. If your video card does not support higher resolutions, good video cards are very cheap and a $60 video card will support 1280x1024 resolution at 256 colors – quite adequate for any purpose when used with a 15" or 17" monitor.
Experiment with the video resolution until you find the optimum balance between font sizes and screen size for a relaxed viewing distance.
Also, ideally for relaxed posture, the top of the monitor should be approximately the height of your chin when seated comfortably. This provides a slight downward viewing angle and makes it easy to raise your eyes to look beyond the computer screen. If the screen is against a wall, place a large mirror behind to provide convenient distance viewing.
NOTE: Do not work in the dark. Even if your screen
is adequately lit for your immediate viewing purposes, you should have ambient
lighting as well. This prevents the screen from becoming the single focal point
in your universe. Also, unless you are in a cubicle and have no choice, it is
helpful to position your monitor such that you are free to look away from the
monitor, out through a window or windows or off in some distance to relieve the
strain of starring at a fixed point.
Posture:
You do not need to sit upright with hooked and angled wrists. You are not a preying mantis looking for dinner and even a mantis doesn’t adopt a posture which is unnatural and awkward. Sit down in a comfortable chair – try a recliner, for example – and let your hands rest in your lap.
Now, where do your hands fall comfortably? Along the tops of your thighs?
Now raise your hands as if you were reaching for a keyboard on top of a desk. Feel the difference?
So, why on earth would you want to maintain that posture unnecessarily? Habit? That’s no excuse!
Instead, place the keyboard in your lap. Ideally,
choose a keyboard with a built-in wrist support where the heels of your hands
rest on the support and your fingers rest comfortably on the keys without
straining to maintain their position. Even more ideally, select an angled and
sculpted keyboard such as the Microsoft Natural keyboard (about $90 but well
worth it and cheaper than a doctor … and also one of the few things that
Microsoft actually got right the first time). These "split-key"
keyboards allow the wrists to stay at a natural position rather than awkwardly
angling to reach a "straight" keyboard and greatly aid in preventing
carpal tunnel syndrome.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome:
Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by working long hours with the wrists held at an unnatural angle resulting in pinching of the nerves. This produces severe pain, numbness in the hands and fingers and an inability to control the fingers. The split-key keyboards do a great deal to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome while sculpted keyboards – which slope the two halves of the keyboard – also help significantly. Any of these improved keyboards is considerably cheaper than paying doctor’s bills and much more comfortable than wearing wrist supports. Since they are available for under $50.00, why hesitate?
More recently, wireless keyboards have appeared on
the market. These keyboards are smaller than standard keyboards and are not
sculpted (unfortunately) but they do use an infrared link and include a small
joystick mouse built-in to the keyboard. At the very least, these fit
comfortably in your lap and offer relief for the strain on your elbow and
relief for your back by allowing you to sit more comfortably.
Mouse Position Alternatives:
Reaching for a conventional mouse positioned off to one side on your desk is another source of strain, this time in the shoulder, arm and elbow. There are many alternatives to a desktop mouse, any of which can do a great deal to relieve stress.
The Logitech Trackman Portable mouse is a small, thumb-operated mouse which can be configured for both right and left hand use. The Trackman Portable can be clipped to the end of most keyboards – either end – or to the sides of many laptops or, with the mounting mechanism removed, can rest upright on a desk or other support at any convenient location. The mouse ball is operated with the thumb while the index finger rests on the primary button across the top. The secondary (right) button may be thumb operated. This mouse is very convenient for drawing, drag and drop operations and any other selection operations.
Trackball mice can also be found incorporated in some keyboards while another type, a joystick mouse, is also available on a few keyboards. Unfortunately, keyboards incorporating these are generally not ergonomic in design.
Touchpad mice are available in many varieties.
These may be incorporated directly in keyboards or may be used as separate
devices. In each case, a touchpad mouse is a simple pad which responds to
touch. By moving your finger across the mouse pad, the screen mouse follows. In
most cases, two buttons are supplied, corresponding to the standard mouse
buttons but you may also click a touchpad mouse simply by tapping the mouse
pad. Ergonomic keyboards incorporating touchpad mice are available.
Other Adjutants:
Since we rarely do everything on the computer but also need some desk space to hold books, magazines, note pads, checkbooks, coffee cups etc, a solid work surface should also be positioned to the immediate right of where you are seated (or left, if left handed). A twelve to sixteen inch surface provides adequate space to hold the various knickknacks which are an inseparable part of everyday business. The area below the work surface may be shelves for books, cabinets for less used items, etc.
While the exact details of your ideal workspace
may vary, I do strongly suggest that you consider carefully what is
comfortable, what your actual work requirements are and how you can relieve
stress from your work situation. If nothing else, productivity can be greatly enhanced
if you are not using your energies to cope with a stressful work situation.
The Author’s Credentials:
I entered the computer industry in the days when even desktop computers were strongly modeled on typewriters with the keyboard and monitor in a single piece. Very early, with the assistance of a hacksaw, a soldering iron and a few inexpensive components, I was able to remove the keyboard from the main computer and found that the change produced a much less stressful situation. Even then, the keyboard weighted only a couple of pounds and rested very comfortably in my lap.
Today, since I commonly spend twelve hours or more during the day using the computer, as I write this article, I am seated in lotus position (legs crossed) in a comfortable chair with lumbar support. My keyboard is resting in my lap, the 17" inch monitor is a full 50" from the bridge of my nose, and the top of the monitor is approximately level with my chin. Beyond the monitor – some 80" further and readily visible – a large mirror provides an additional distance view of the world behind me. To my right and left, broad windows look outside.
To my right, my mouse rests on a shelf at the level of the keyboard – a minimal reach when required. Above the mouse, a work surface holds my cup of cold, carbonated caffeine (I prefer Pepsi to coffee) as well as my palm top computer, scissors, stapler, pens and other miscellany. Over the shoulder lighting provides adequate illumination at night.
When I do not want the keyboard in my lap, it rests conveniently against the shelves to my right, standing on end. For sketching, I use a clipboard or notebook either in my lap or on the work surface to my right. For notes, the work surface provides adequate space for this and for other activities such as writing checks, holding a book or soldering small parts.
In front of me, below the monitor, my laptop rests on a pull-out shelf. Next to it are my zip drive, my power control panel and my ISDN modem. Below these are the computer itself and my printer. All are within convenient reach but not in the way. Below the work surface, a series of compartments and shelves hold zip disks, reference books of various sizes, note pads, a tape measure, a VOM and any other miscellany I may want at hand.
The telephone is wall mounted to my right but also has a headset / boom mike combination such that I can talk and listen without straining to hold the handset awkwardly with my shoulder while doing so. And, as mentioned, my glasses are cut to a custom prescription allowing me to look equally well at the book to my immediate right (at about 24"), at the computer screen or TV (at 50") and at the redwoods in the distance (varying to infinity).
Granted, here the cabinets were custom built to my specification, finished in oak and formica but, in the past, I have built similar work spaces for very minimal cost using readily available materials. While budgets vary, most of these changes can be accomplished inexpensively and the expensive elements can be incorporated – with a little foresight – the next time you need to upgrade your equipment. (And, sooner or later, this will happen.)
Of course, the redwoods outside … and the mountains supporting them … along with the swimming pool, the hot tub and the extensive grounds for wandering when I want a moment away from the computer to think are not so easily come by. But, no, I am not a millionaire nor even moderately wealthy (in the financial sense) – merely that I have arranged my life very much as I have arranged my workspace … arranged them to my benefit rather than slavishly following the dictates of an earlier time and circumstance.
This is the computer age, after all – so why should I act as if I still lived in a cave?
Oh, yes, I’m not a complete reactionary … I do own
a tie … somewhere … I know I saw it … couldn’t have been more than a year or so
ago … probably …