Are you shopping for a desk?
If not, should you be?
From an ergonomic standpoint, the best desk is a plain, no-frills desk.
This is in direct opposition to what you might have seen online – search for images using a term like “comfortable offices,” and the majority of the results are highly impractical at best, and potentially harmful at worst.
Don’t worry – it IS possible to have an office that is both ergonomic and aesthetically pleasing. But when choosing a desk (or any of your other ergonomic equipment), function is much more important than form.
Keep in mind that most desks are 29-30” in height. A standard desk height of 29-30” means that around 10% of people will be able to use the desk with no issues, but for the other 90% of us, the desk will be too high.
Yes, you read that right – only around 10% of the population will be able to comfortably use a standard-height desk, without modifications like a desk-height adjustment, a keyboard tray, or a footrest.
What was that? I think I heard a resounding shout of “No wonder I’ve never been comfortable at work!”
Some of the most beautiful, stylish, or classy desks are some of the worst when it comes to function:
Glass-top desks may be sleek and modern, but it is usually difficult to add a keyboard tray to one.
Antique roll-top desks and secretary desks may look classy, but seldom provide enough space to position the required equipment for a modern office.
Campaign desks have plenty of legroom, but keyboard trays are usually hard to attach to these, and the drawers along the bottom make it hard to raise your chair and use a footrest.
Pedestal and executive desks seldom provide enough room underneath to place a footrest, and the typical addition of a middle drawer would make it hard to raise your chair, anyway.
So, what type of office desk is best? The ideal office (or home office) desk will have plenty of unobstructed surface area, with no add-ons like over-head shelves. It will have plenty of legroom, and if it has drawers or cabinets on either sides, these will be far apart to leave you room to maneuver. It will have a surface to which a keyboard tray could be attached, if needed (and so it will probably be made of wood or a similar alternative). It will only be about 1” thick, and won’t have a drawer in the middle – this will help if you need to raise your chair and add a footrest.
And of course, if the desk is height-adjustable, that’s even better! Alternating between sitting and standing is great, but one of the other benefits of an electric height adjustable desk is that you can easily place it at your ideal typing/mousing height when seated.
So remember, when it comes to your desk, practical is always best.
Not sure what your ideal desk height is? Or do you need a recommendation for a desk that suits your needs? We can help with that! Contact us for an ergonomic evaluation today!