Thinking back to my experiences in my career in IT, I have noticed one clear trend. The bigger the screens/monitors people use to work on, the more efficient and happy they are.
It should be obvious why. The smaller a screen is the harder it is to make out details both in the written word and in training videos and multimedia presentations. As the size of the screens that I used increased, I could see why people in my past loved their larger screens. I was used to 14-inch screens so it wasn’t uncomfortable to use them. We should never make the mistake that what works for us, is best for others.
VIPs and executives quickly got large screens when they became available. It was less available to the less important people in the company due to the cost. I helped those people, and sure it was fun to set up those computers and see things larger. Then I read studies that said that for every inch of screen real estate, a person is 17% more productive. Wow, then it is an easy argument to buy larger screens.
Some companies that I worked at used dual screens due to the cost of larger screens. I used dual screens for a long time. Ultimately though I didn’t like them due to the constant switching between screens and the extra complications of cables and power management. As the price of monitors decreased, then there was no longer a good reason to use multiple screens. Although strangely enough, I have my 55-inch TV monitor, and my MacBook Pro effectively becoming a second screen. Still, I only look at it for LinkedIn updates, and it is a very low priority. If I didn’t have that screen, I would get notified on my iPhone due to the LinkedIn app installed and the notification feature that is part of it. When I travel, I am always accessible.
For me, the most efficient thing I have done is move to this 55-inch monitor. I no longer look at normal screens other than the MacBook Pro occasionally. Still, I don’t need it. I can put so many windows and see so much information on this large screen that it just simplifies my entire life. I tried curved screens but that made my eyes red and sore. I also found them unreliable and was unimpressed with my experience.
Until I got a larger monitor my eyes were red and sore almost every day. If your eyes are red and sore, try using a larger monitor. I bet your eyes will feel better. It has been such a pleasure to have a larger screen and have healthy and normal eyes even when I play on the computer more than I probably should.