Monitor Arm Design-00-5037

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A new category of product that could be said to be particularly challenging to designers is IT / furniture accessories and in particular supports for monitors. These products have emerged as new concepts during the last fifteen or so years to improve the experience of using technology from a human and technical point of view.

The rationale of using a flat screen monitor arm (as opposed to the stand supplied by screen manufacturers) is that the arm allows movement of the monitor to suit the user. As well as up and down movement to adjust the screen to the correct height, monitors can be moved more closely to the computer user and tilted for precision viewing or the avoidance of screen glare. Monitors can be made to sweep or swing across a desk, thus the name swing arm is also often used interchangeably to describe a monitor or flat screen arm.

The challenge for the swing arm designer is not just to create a new product concept which can fulfil a tricky combination of functions, but also to design an object that improves the overall aesthetic of an interior. The design of workplace interiors has become increasingly ...
... valued during recent years, to the extent that the look of these products is now as important to those who specify and purchase them as their functionality. However, it's not just about style: HR experts and switched-on managers appreciate the positive benefits that an appealing, stylish interior and well designed furniture and accessories can have on employee motivation, recruitment and retention.

A swing or flat screen arm is an unusual and difficult product area to design for, creating real challenges for the product designer. Compare for instance the different considerations in the design of a mobile phone: there are lots of design issues to think about but first and foremost it's a matter of packaging. The crux of the design brief is to enclose the technology in an appealing outer wrapper. Whereas a monitor or swing arm has to move in every direction; there are different and complex joints and mechanisms and they have to carry a significant and variable load. All this while maintaining their simplicity and purity from a visual point of view. These types of products really push the boundary between design and engineering. Indeed in many instances those who design these products have trained or have a strong grasp of both disciplines. Such products could even be said to be pure of design, in the sense that nothing is superfluous. There is a strong human quality too with the obvious anatomical references to the arms that support flat screen monitors.

Despite the challenges (or perhaps because of them) IT / furniture accessories (and in particular flat screen or swing arms) are a growing product area. It is a field where designers and manufacturers can really add value by creating a (seemingly) simple product that can transform a desk into a bespoke ergonomic workstation.

About the Author:

Colebrook Bosson Saunders has over a decade of experience in good http://www.colebrookbossonsaunders.com/about-us/ergonomics.htm. If you would like to make your computer monitor adjustable, why not consider a http://www.colebrookbossonsaunders.com/products/flat-screen-support.htm?