Be More Productive With A Larger Monitor? at They Might Be Curly Giants!

Studies have shown that for certain task, such as moving data between files and working on a spreadsheet, productivity is higher when one is using a larger monitor.

Researchers at the University of Utah tested how quickly people performed tasks like editing a document and copying numbers between spreadsheets while using different computer configurations: one with an 18-inch monitor, one with a 24-inch monitor and with two 20-inch monitors. Their finding: People using the 24-inch screen completed the tasks 52% faster than people who used the 18-inch monitor; people who used the two 20-inch monitors were 44% faster than those with the 18-inch ones. There is an upper limit, however: Productivity dropped off again when people used a 26-inch screen. (The order of the tasks and the order of computer configurations were assigned randomly.)

Personally, I do notice that I can work faster at home where I have a tiny 19" widescreen, compared to the even smaller 15" monitor I have at work. A 24" monitor would be sweeeet!

[link: The Wall Street Journal]