workspace ergonomics

Hands on a keyboard — Credit: Claudio Schwarz

Proper workspace ergonomics are a vital factor in a successful computer desk. They help make your workspace an enjoyable place to be, and will help you avoid physical discomfort ever becoming a distraction from your work.

Chair and Desk Height

Whether you sit or stand at your desk some of the biggest factors in ergonomics and comfort are the position of your arms when typing, and the position of your legs when sitting. The height of your desk and chair have a direct effect on both of these factors.

Chair Height

If your chair is adjustable, set it to the height at which your feet rest comfortably on the floor and your leg forms a right angle at your knee. This height helps relieve excess pressure on your feet, legs, and butt that can occur when the chair is much lower or higher than this.

If your chair is not adjustable or if it cannot be adjusted that low, consider placing something between your feet and the floor to use as a foot rest in order to simulate having a lower chair.

Desk Height

If your desk height is adjustable, set it to the height at which your forearms are parallel to the floor when typing with your shoulders in a natural position.

If your desk is not adjustable or can’t be adjusted low enough, then these are some alternative solutions:

Mount a tray beneath your desk for you mouse and keyboard.
Raise your chair and use a foot rest if sitting.
Stand on top of something if standing. or stand on something when standing.

A balance board, one way to effectively lower your desk relative to your body when standing. Credit: Gustavo Torres

Monitor Placement

With your desk height set properly, you can now focus on your monitor placement.

First position the monitor’s height such that the top of the screen it at or just above the level of your eyes. This will help you avoid the need to lift your eyes or your neck above a neutral position, which can quickly become uncomfortable. If your monitor stand’s height is not adjustable, you can make use of a monitor riser to help you achieve the ideal height.

Next, set the monitor at a distance from your eyes that will be comfortable to look at throughout the day. Finding the ideal distance takes some time, so you may need to experiment with different distances over the course of a few days to find the most comfortable position for you. Depending on how far away you place it, you may need to adjust your computer’s display settings to find the screen scale that is most comfortable for you.

Keyboard Ergonomics

If your work involves typing on a keyboard all day, then practicing ergonomic placement and developing healthy usage habits can improve your comfort and long-term wrist health.

First, ensure that you have placed your keyboard at an appropriate height relative to your body as described in Desk Height. Further improvements include

Lateral centering - Place your keyboard such that the G and H keys are directly in front of you so that the primary typing position is centered.
Avoiding tilt - Some keyboards include legs that can tilt the entire keyboard up toward you. This is not ideal for long-term use because it forces unnatural wrist extension that tends to become uncomfortable.
Tenting - Adjustable tenting is typically only available on split keyboards, but can help you avoid the wrist pronation that is required to use flat keyboards.
Rotation - If you have a split keyboard, you can rotate the left half of the keyboard clockwise and rotate the right half of the keyboard counter-clockwise in order to avoid the ulnar deviation required to use traditional keyboards.