Dan Bremner, President, Castema Technology Services, Inc.
While some things in the tech world -- laptop and notebook computers, for instance -- continue to trend smaller and smaller, computer monitor screen sizes are definitely trending in the opposite direction. We can never get enough real estate on our computer screens. Multiple monitors have long been popular, allowing you to keep more screens open and visible at the same time, and the productivity boost is a big reason why two or more screens have become the norm for a lot of companies. Knowledge workers are expected to interact with a variety of programs and online sites, while remaining in touch with colleagues and clients through email, online conferencing, and collaboration apps. It makes sense that leaving some of those apps open and visible at a glance would save time from flipping back and forth between windows.
In the quest to see if there's an advantage to "bigger is better" some people in our office have been experimenting with larger monitors, or even with using a big screen 4k TV as their computer screen. I've just gone from a pair of 23-inch 1080p monitors to a pair of 32-inch 1440p monitors. At first glance, they look huge. Okay, at second glance they look huge, too. I mean, they're each bigger than the TV I bought for my first apartment, and there are two of them! That said, I'm really getting used to the extra real-estate and having more windows open that I can see without swapping back and forth. I guess the real test would be going back to the old monitors to see if I miss the bigger screens. Hmmm…but I don't really want my old monitors back, so I guess I might already be hooked.
I'll report back on this and other productivity-enhancing technology soon. Please let me know if you'd like to talk about making your office more productive, or more secure. In the meantime, stay warm this week!