Ergonomic Keyboards
Fri, Oct 24, 2008 18:43 EDT
Can Ergonomic Keyboards Improve Your Bottom Line?
Posted by: Anonymous in Best Practices
Topic: Applications
Current Rating: Comments: 0
Appropriate computer ergonomics should include more than just an expensive chair. Keyboards and mice need to be considered as well. For example, by standardizing on advanced ergonomic keyboards that can be personalized to fit each worker’s needs, companies can affordably minimize the risk of injury and at the same time increase worker productivity. Widespread use of the newest, flexibly-designed ergonomic keyboards can provide a competitive advantage, improving both morale and the bottom line.
But let’s get back to reality. You probably don’t think of workstation ergonomics as an ROI component or a way to maximize IT efficiency. Are ergonomic keyboards an IT priority in your organization? I didn't think so. But worker efficiency and up-time are going to be more important than ever as we face the likelihood of a severe economic downturn.
For the past ~15 years since the first ergonomic keyboards were commercialized, they have typically only been used for the occasional "injured worker." Obstacles to wider usage included high prices, the learning curve for extreme or specialized designs, plus IT headaches for installation and support. Another challenge to wider adoption has been a lack of information with which to make purchasing decisions. How does one decide what features are needed and which brand or model is best? Because of these unknowns and ambiguities, if a employee needed a workstation "ergo-makeover," chances are an expensive new chair was purchased instead of a premium (and much less expensive) keyboard.
Fortunately, recent design and development innovations are making premium ergonomic keyboards affordable and easy to deploy. Because features can be added or removed at any time as staffing and needs change, purchasing decisions are simpler. These new ergonomic keyboards represent “Ergo 2.0,” when compared to the Microsoft Natural-style ergo keyboard. A wide array of important ergonomic features are available to all who need them, without forcing every computer user to fit the same mold (or to pay for features they don’t need).
To take advantage of these new products by deploying them widely, organizations must see powerful benefits and extremely easy implementation (e.g. "no special drivers"). There are two recent examples where this sort of change has impacted the computing environment: high-end office chairs and open source software. One has been widely successful; the other is still a work in progress.
First, consider that in most organizations, good quality, adjustable office chairs (beginning with the Aeron from Herman Miller) have become an accepted "necessity" rather than a luxury, and worker comfort (and morale!) has benefited. However, although these chairs typically cost well over $1,000, they only address one issue: comfort. They don’t address, for example, the 18,000+ motions per hour required for steady typing. There was a period during the “Web 1.0” dotcom boom, when these chairs first became widely accepted, that incubator companies like IdeaLab were also buying very high-end ergonomic keyboards (e.g. the Advantage Contoured keyboard from Kinesis) for programmers, as both a perq and a competitive edge. However, these exotic devices are not the answer for the majority of computer users who need something better than the traditional (or Microsoft Natural-style) keyboard.
A second paradigm shift in progress is the adoption of open source software. This change is not progressing quite as swiftly as the first. In spite of the significant performance and cost advantages over the standard Microsoft fare, there is still great resistance to change. “Ergo 2.0” keyboards face similar resistance to widespread deployment. Of course ergonomic keyboards aren't free, but they cost a lot less than do operating systems, software applications, and high-end chairs. In addition they can provide a performance advantage comparable to what is often achieved with Linux vs. Windows. And switching to a best-in-class ergo keyboard is one heck of a lot easier that changing Office suites!
Suppose you have now had that “Aha” moment and you want to begin wide deployment of Ergo 2.0 keyboards. How do you accomplish this within an organization that is made up of lots of individuals who don’t yet understand the benefits? Two approaches come to mind here. On the one hand, you could work with your corporate ergonomics or your health and safety resources, since they are probably already very familiar with and supportive of the newest ergonomic keyboards. Collaborate with them to develop "best practices" which combine both their hot button benefits (health, morale) and yours (easy deployment, high efficiency). An alternative approach would be to develop an independent ergonomics program for increasing the productivity of your entire department or organization. It’s really that simple.
The time has come to look more closely at recent keyboard design and development innovations. New flexible ergonomic keyboards are now justifiable as a smart, strategic IT initiative. And employees will love you!
-- Will Hargreaves, PhD
Kinesis President and CEO
link: http://advice.cio.com/can_ergonomic_keyboards_improve_your_bottom_line?page=0%2C1
Can Ergonomic Keyboards Improve Your Bottom Line?
Posted by: Anonymous in Best Practices
Topic: Applications
Current Rating: Comments: 0
Appropriate computer ergonomics should include more than just an expensive chair. Keyboards and mice need to be considered as well. For example, by standardizing on advanced ergonomic keyboards that can be personalized to fit each worker’s needs, companies can affordably minimize the risk of injury and at the same time increase worker productivity. Widespread use of the newest, flexibly-designed ergonomic keyboards can provide a competitive advantage, improving both morale and the bottom line.
But let’s get back to reality. You probably don’t think of workstation ergonomics as an ROI component or a way to maximize IT efficiency. Are ergonomic keyboards an IT priority in your organization? I didn't think so. But worker efficiency and up-time are going to be more important than ever as we face the likelihood of a severe economic downturn.
For the past ~15 years since the first ergonomic keyboards were commercialized, they have typically only been used for the occasional "injured worker." Obstacles to wider usage included high prices, the learning curve for extreme or specialized designs, plus IT headaches for installation and support. Another challenge to wider adoption has been a lack of information with which to make purchasing decisions. How does one decide what features are needed and which brand or model is best? Because of these unknowns and ambiguities, if a employee needed a workstation "ergo-makeover," chances are an expensive new chair was purchased instead of a premium (and much less expensive) keyboard.
Fortunately, recent design and development innovations are making premium ergonomic keyboards affordable and easy to deploy. Because features can be added or removed at any time as staffing and needs change, purchasing decisions are simpler. These new ergonomic keyboards represent “Ergo 2.0,” when compared to the Microsoft Natural-style ergo keyboard. A wide array of important ergonomic features are available to all who need them, without forcing every computer user to fit the same mold (or to pay for features they don’t need).
To take advantage of these new products by deploying them widely, organizations must see powerful benefits and extremely easy implementation (e.g. "no special drivers"). There are two recent examples where this sort of change has impacted the computing environment: high-end office chairs and open source software. One has been widely successful; the other is still a work in progress.
First, consider that in most organizations, good quality, adjustable office chairs (beginning with the Aeron from Herman Miller) have become an accepted "necessity" rather than a luxury, and worker comfort (and morale!) has benefited. However, although these chairs typically cost well over $1,000, they only address one issue: comfort. They don’t address, for example, the 18,000+ motions per hour required for steady typing. There was a period during the “Web 1.0” dotcom boom, when these chairs first became widely accepted, that incubator companies like IdeaLab were also buying very high-end ergonomic keyboards (e.g. the Advantage Contoured keyboard from Kinesis) for programmers, as both a perq and a competitive edge. However, these exotic devices are not the answer for the majority of computer users who need something better than the traditional (or Microsoft Natural-style) keyboard.
A second paradigm shift in progress is the adoption of open source software. This change is not progressing quite as swiftly as the first. In spite of the significant performance and cost advantages over the standard Microsoft fare, there is still great resistance to change. “Ergo 2.0” keyboards face similar resistance to widespread deployment. Of course ergonomic keyboards aren't free, but they cost a lot less than do operating systems, software applications, and high-end chairs. In addition they can provide a performance advantage comparable to what is often achieved with Linux vs. Windows. And switching to a best-in-class ergo keyboard is one heck of a lot easier that changing Office suites!
Suppose you have now had that “Aha” moment and you want to begin wide deployment of Ergo 2.0 keyboards. How do you accomplish this within an organization that is made up of lots of individuals who don’t yet understand the benefits? Two approaches come to mind here. On the one hand, you could work with your corporate ergonomics or your health and safety resources, since they are probably already very familiar with and supportive of the newest ergonomic keyboards. Collaborate with them to develop "best practices" which combine both their hot button benefits (health, morale) and yours (easy deployment, high efficiency). An alternative approach would be to develop an independent ergonomics program for increasing the productivity of your entire department or organization. It’s really that simple.
The time has come to look more closely at recent keyboard design and development innovations. New flexible ergonomic keyboards are now justifiable as a smart, strategic IT initiative. And employees will love you!
-- Will Hargreaves, PhD
Kinesis President and CEO
link: http://advice.cio.com/can_ergonomic_keyboards_improve_your_bottom_line?page=0%2C1
posted by Ergonomic Partners @ 6:32 PM
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