For most of us, our workday is spent looking at a computer monitor of some kind. Everyone I know is using a flat screen display, but have you stepped up to dual displays? The productivity improvement is astounding! Wichita State University summarized a 2012 study that blew me away. Comparing a single 17" display versus dual 22" displays, user frustration levels drop 45% and overall productivity rises 33 percent. Heck, 98% of the people in the study chose a dual monitor set-up over a single monitor. What were the other 2% thinking?
OK, I’m a bit geeky… I love statistics and numbers. When someone tells me something, I usually go look up the data behind it to see what the “science” is behind the supposed facts. The results of the study above blew me away! When I read it a few years ago, I immediately purchased dual displays for everyone. Now more than half of my people have 3 or more displays. That may sound crazy to you, but the productivity gains are phenomenal.
Georgia Tech performed a similar study in 2008 with similar findings. So in my mind, the cold facts make it obvious that investing in an extra display for each user will reap enormous benefits for a company. Just do it!
Based on our experience, I’d like to share one other bit of useful info. There are two general types of interfaces to connect a monitor to – either analog or digital. An analog display is the blue, 15-pin VGA interface that has been around for decades. A digital display interface is usually DVI, but could also be Displayport. ALWAYS use digital display interfaces. Almost every monitor made today allows you to connect with either analog or digital… always use the digital. The display on screen is crisp and sharp, whereas the analog display will often be fuzzy. You may not notice until you connect two displays, and end up making one analog and the other digital. Then it’ll jump right out and whack you in the eye! A key to a successful install is to ensure you have two digital display ports that you can connect to.
If you’d like us to help, we’ve packaged a pair of dual displays (matching displays just looks great) along with a dual digital display adapter and the labor to install it. It’s a turnkey solution everyone should implement immediately. Employers, let your employees know how grateful you are by giving them a gift that keeps on giving this holiday season. Employees just send this to your boss and ask them when your dual displays will get installed. You won’t regret it!
