Discussions

All -

We have the convergence of two projects, planning for the outfitting of the technology in our Upper School construction due to open next August and standardizing our tools of trade needs with our HR department.

This year, we have an a significant increase in requests for a second external monitor for use with the employees laptops.

I am wondering if anyone has developed a criteria that you are using at your school to determine why and who should be afforded a second external monitor due to the nature of their position. Any and all ideas would be helpful.

Thank you in advance,

Vinnie

Hi Vinnie!

I relied on research such as this...when making that decision. Small price to pay for productivity, work happiness quotient, and time on task. :)

"According to research, multiple screens can dramatically boost productivity. One of the first indicators was a landmark study¹ by researchers at the University of Utah. The researchers found that multiple screens were "significantly more usable than single screens on measures of effectiveness, comfort, learning ease, time to productivity, mistake recovery" and other factors. For example, users found multi-screen configurations:

• More comfortable
• More productive
• Easier to track tasks

Subsequent research since the Utah study has shown similarly impressive results. Microsoft researchers found that switching to multiple monitor configurations could boost productivity between 9 percent and 50 percent². Tech consultant Jon Peddie Research reported that users of multiple monitors estimated productivity gains averaging 42 percent³.

In a report to the Human Factors and Ergonomic Society,⁴ researchers at Wichita State University found that multiple monitors helped boost performance, regardless of screen size. Users reported dual monitors were measurably more efficient and less frustrating than a single monitor. Perhaps most notable, nearly all of the study participants-98 percent- preferred a dual monitor configuration.

The research findings are not surprising, considering that additional monitors allow users to:

• Display more content (more windows, and in larger sizes)
• Use more applications simultaneously, and switch between them more quickly
• View multiple windows without moving windows front to back, resizing, etc.
• View documents side by side, cutting and pasting, etc.

In short, multiple monitors provide significantly more screen real estate and more work process options, thus more user control. As Steelcase research has pointed out, choice and control are essential to user engagement and satisfaction. Or, as the Wichita State University researchers noted, user satisfaction with dual monitor configurations was "important because it is well-documented that higher satisfaction often is related to higher productivity."^5"

All -

We have the convergence of two projects, planning for the outfitting of the technology in our Upper School construction due to open next August and standardizing our tools of trade needs with our HR department.

This year, we have an a significant increase in requests for a second external monitor for use with the employees laptops.

I am wondering if anyone has developed a criteria that you are using at your school to determine why and who should be afforded a second external monitor due to the nature of their position. Any and all ideas would be helpful.

Thank you in advance,

Vinnie

Hi Vinnie!

I relied on research such as this...when making that decision. Small price to pay for productivity, work happiness quotient, and time on task. :)

"According to research, multiple screens can dramatically boost productivity. One of the first indicators was a landmark study¹ by researchers at the University of Utah. The researchers found that multiple screens were "significantly more usable than single screens on measures of effectiveness, comfort, learning ease, time to productivity, mistake recovery" and other factors. For example, users found multi-screen configurations:

• More comfortable
• More productive
• Easier to track tasks

Subsequent research since the Utah study has shown similarly impressive results. Microsoft researchers found that switching to multiple monitor configurations could boost productivity between 9 percent and 50 percent². Tech consultant Jon Peddie Research reported that users of multiple monitors estimated productivity gains averaging 42 percent³.

In a report to the Human Factors and Ergonomic Society,⁴ researchers at Wichita State University found that multiple monitors helped boost performance, regardless of screen size. Users reported dual monitors were measurably more efficient and less frustrating than a single monitor. Perhaps most notable, nearly all of the study participants-98 percent- preferred a dual monitor configuration.

The research findings are not surprising, considering that additional monitors allow users to:

• Display more content (more windows, and in larger sizes)
• Use more applications simultaneously, and switch between them more quickly
• View multiple windows without moving windows front to back, resizing, etc.
• View documents side by side, cutting and pasting, etc.

In short, multiple monitors provide significantly more screen real estate and more work process options, thus more user control. As Steelcase research has pointed out, choice and control are essential to user engagement and satisfaction. Or, as the Wichita State University researchers noted, user satisfaction with dual monitor configurations was "important because it is well-documented that higher satisfaction often is related to higher productivity."^5"

All -

We have the convergence of two projects, planning for the outfitting of the technology in our Upper School construction due to open next August and standardizing our tools of trade needs with our HR department.

This year, we have an a significant increase in requests for a second external monitor for use with the employees laptops.

I am wondering if anyone has developed a criteria that you are using at your school to determine why and who should be afforded a second external monitor due to the nature of their position. Any and all ideas would be helpful.

Thank you in advance,

Vinnie

Hi, Vinnie~

I thought I would pop in here to add that we usually grant 2nd monitors to those working with extensive spreadsheets and data, mainly the admin team.  It's rare that any of our teaching staff ask for or need a 2nd monitor.  If they do ask for one, we usually have a loaner that they can use temporarily or if they have an accommodation request they will certainly be granted a 2nd monitor to fulfill that request.

I hope this helps somewhat with guidance and decision making.  Those spreadsheets can look super tiny on a laptop screen and I don't want to increase my reader magnification any more than I have to.  Haha

Amanda  

Hi Vinnie!

I relied on research such as this...when making that decision. Small price to pay for productivity, work happiness quotient, and time on task. :)

"According to research, multiple screens can dramatically boost productivity. One of the first indicators was a landmark study¹ by researchers at the University of Utah. The researchers found that multiple screens were "significantly more usable than single screens on measures of effectiveness, comfort, learning ease, time to productivity, mistake recovery" and other factors. For example, users found multi-screen configurations:

• More comfortable
• More productive
• Easier to track tasks

Subsequent research since the Utah study has shown similarly impressive results. Microsoft researchers found that switching to multiple monitor configurations could boost productivity between 9 percent and 50 percent². Tech consultant Jon Peddie Research reported that users of multiple monitors estimated productivity gains averaging 42 percent³.

In a report to the Human Factors and Ergonomic Society,⁴ researchers at Wichita State University found that multiple monitors helped boost performance, regardless of screen size. Users reported dual monitors were measurably more efficient and less frustrating than a single monitor. Perhaps most notable, nearly all of the study participants-98 percent- preferred a dual monitor configuration.

The research findings are not surprising, considering that additional monitors allow users to:

• Display more content (more windows, and in larger sizes)
• Use more applications simultaneously, and switch between them more quickly
• View multiple windows without moving windows front to back, resizing, etc.
• View documents side by side, cutting and pasting, etc.

In short, multiple monitors provide significantly more screen real estate and more work process options, thus more user control. As Steelcase research has pointed out, choice and control are essential to user engagement and satisfaction. Or, as the Wichita State University researchers noted, user satisfaction with dual monitor configurations was "important because it is well-documented that higher satisfaction often is related to higher productivity."^5"

All -

We have the convergence of two projects, planning for the outfitting of the technology in our Upper School construction due to open next August and standardizing our tools of trade needs with our HR department.

This year, we have an a significant increase in requests for a second external monitor for use with the employees laptops.

I am wondering if anyone has developed a criteria that you are using at your school to determine why and who should be afforded a second external monitor due to the nature of their position. Any and all ideas would be helpful.

Thank you in advance,

Vinnie

All -

We have the convergence of two projects, planning for the outfitting of the technology in our Upper School construction due to open next August and standardizing our tools of trade needs with our HR department.

This year, we have an a significant increase in requests for a second external monitor for use with the employees laptops.

I am wondering if anyone has developed a criteria that you are using at your school to determine why and who should be afforded a second external monitor due to the nature of their position. Any and all ideas would be helpful.

Thank you in advance,

Vinnie

Hi Vinnie - we employ the same process as Amanda. Teachers all have laptops and rarely ask for an external monitor. Many admin on the other hand do request second monitors but it hasn't been excessive or what I would consider out of scope to their relative work requirements.

All -

We have the convergence of two projects, planning for the outfitting of the technology in our Upper School construction due to open next August and standardizing our tools of trade needs with our HR department.

This year, we have an a significant increase in requests for a second external monitor for use with the employees laptops.

I am wondering if anyone has developed a criteria that you are using at your school to determine why and who should be afforded a second external monitor due to the nature of their position. Any and all ideas would be helpful.

Thank you in advance,

Vinnie

All -

We have the convergence of two projects, planning for the outfitting of the technology in our Upper School construction due to open next August and standardizing our tools of trade needs with our HR department.

This year, we have an a significant increase in requests for a second external monitor for use with the employees laptops.

I am wondering if anyone has developed a criteria that you are using at your school to determine why and who should be afforded a second external monitor due to the nature of their position. Any and all ideas would be helpful.

Thank you in advance,

Vinnie

Hi Vinnie,

We've faced this on the admin and staff side over the past couple of years, but not so much on the teacher side. One thing that we have done is publish our computing standards for transparency within our professional community. Included in these standards is a section for monitors, including some criteria and how to request a bigger or an additional monitor (https://miamicountryday.gitbook.io/policies/computing-equipment-standards#monitors). Because 99% of our school users are on MacBooks now, we also need to take into consideration the need to equip these offices with the proper docking stations when we upgrade a single-monitor user to a dual-monitor user.

Having this published and available as a resource for the community has reduced the number of non-essential requests. In all honesty, most users end up getting their request approved once their supervisor and I have a conversation regarding the request.

Hope that's helpful!

-Jimmy :-)

All -

We have the convergence of two projects, planning for the outfitting of the technology in our Upper School construction due to open next August and standardizing our tools of trade needs with our HR department.

This year, we have an a significant increase in requests for a second external monitor for use with the employees laptops.

I am wondering if anyone has developed a criteria that you are using at your school to determine why and who should be afforded a second external monitor due to the nature of their position. Any and all ideas would be helpful.

Thank you in advance,

Vinnie