I’ve noticed that a lot of people (particularly at places like banks or other locations where you don’t need to use your computer all the time while working) tend to have their computer monitors situated off to the side of their desktops, while their keyboards are in the “standard” position in front of them.
I, personally, find this an extremely annoying and uncomfortable way to use a computer (it’s not long before my neck starts to hurt). No matter what I’m doing with my computer, I have to have the monitor directly in front of me. Obviously your mileage may vary.
I actually have two monitors on my gaming rig, and one is sort of angled (it’s right next to the main one but angled toward me). This isn’t bad because I don’t look at it much (I use it for my Ventrilo window, quick web browsing, having Hulu on, etc. while gaming). I’ve even seen some folks with their single gaming monitors angled!
So…poll time! Straight on or off to the side? Poll up in a sec.
I prefer my monitor to be directly in front of me, but perhaps the people you mentioned keep it off to the side so that it doesn’t block their view of the customer.
Normally I have my monitor straight in front of me and that is what I voted for, however I used to have a Position of Responsibility at work and I had my office monitor angled to the side because I felt that I appeared more approachable that way.
How exactly does that work? While your on the computer, your face is pointing a different direction. If it’s right in front of you, you can just look up and see their face. And, if you want to seem approachable, don’t have your desk between you and the only way to approach you. That’s what every psychologist I know does. Then again, they also have laptops.
I personally find it disorienting not to have the monitor right in front of me. It would be like using the mouse while angling it to the side. If I had to have the monitor not right in front of my face, it would at the very least not be angled at all.
I find it very annoying that I have to use a CRT with a curved screen, since my other one lost it’s vertical hold. It took days before I got to the point where looking at it didn’t make me feel like I was going to throw up.
Because you’re not normally working on the computer at exactly the same time as you’re talking to them and the monitor is a big barrier between you, particularly if you’re just talking. The desk is not so much of a barrier, it only hides from the waist down, not your chest and face. You may also want a little bit of a barrier.
Bugger, I clicked the wrong option. All three monitors (two home, one work) are now straight on.
In my last job, the screen was angled and I used to have my current work monitor angled. Since I’ve upped my computer work to 80-90% of my job, I’ve shifted the screen to front-on.
I voted as what I have at home, since we have dual 24" monitors at work and they take up the whole damn desk and I can’t move em anyway (they’re angled side to side). I prefer having a main monitor in front of me and then another one off to the side.
My home computer is a single screen, and it’s dead ahead.
My at-office work setup is one large monitor straight ahead and one smaller screen to the side and angled.
My at-home work setup is two identical large screens angled in a broad V.
I find I work differently with the two different work setups - at the office, the side monitor winds up holding “extra” windows, but at home, where the two are equal, I freely swap things around between the two.