Ever wonder why some people use dual monitors? They must be doing some serious coding or video editing work, right? Not really. Having an additional monitor can benefit any type of computing work you do, even if you mainly create documents or handle customer support.
Having that additional screen real estate can come in handy for multiple reasons, and switching to a dual monitor workflow is proven to boost productivity.
In a study by Jon Peddie Research, people working with two monitors increased their productivity by 42%.
If you’ve been curious about what you may be missing out on by not using dual monitors, read on to learn several benefits of adding that additional screen.
Boost in Productivity
As we noted, switching to a dual monitor workflow can boost productivity significantly. Just imagine how much a company with 20 employees could improve output by making a small investment in additional monitors for its team.
Another study that was done was by Dell found that user satisfaction also increased, along with productivity. Here are a few findings from their study on the advantages reported when using dual monitors:
- Participants said finding information was twice as easy
- Dual-monitor users outperformed single-monitor users on tasks by 2 minutes
- Text tasks had a 44% increase in productivity and spreadsheet tasks had a 29% boost.
Expands Screen Real Estate for a Laptop
Laptop users often have to sacrifice screen size for portability. Doing tasks like having documents up side-by-side can be frustrating when you don’t have a lot of screen area to work with.
Using a laptop with an additional monitor makes it much easier to spread out digitally and get the room you would normally have on a desktop computer.
Easier to Do Comparisons
When you’re doing things like comparing pricing from several websites or trying to compare a requirement document to what a designer actually delivered, having dual monitors can save you a lot of time.
Having to switch back and forth between windows when doing comparisons is both time-consuming and can cause you to miss things. It’s not always easy to remember what you saw a second ago when you switch back to another window.
Using two screens makes it easy to see any small differences in a document and perform thorough pricing and feature comparisons.
More Freedom in Video Meeting Screensharing
When sharing your screen in a video meeting, you can end with embarrassing banners popping up on your screen, like an incoming email message from one colleague that’s complaining about another one.
Another challenge with having only one screen is that if you need to refer to notes, you either have to print them out, have them showing, or awkwardly switch over to another window your participants can’t see.
With dual screens, you can set up it so that only one of your displays is shared during a video conference meeting. You can then keep your email open on the other display along with any notes you need to reference, and participants won’t see them.
Great ROI Because Adding Another Monitor is Inexpensive
Switching to dual monitors is one of the most inexpensive things you can do that will result in such a big increase in productivity. This makes it an easy business technology choice for great ROI.
You don’t have to purchase any extra software or another computer. Monitors (even the big ones) are one of the most affordable pieces of hardware, and most already come with the connections needed to use them with any type of desktop or laptop.
Less App Switching in Your Workflow
You might be someone that always likes to keep a certain app open, such as your email, Microsoft Teams, or a news site. But if you’re working with a single screen, that can lead to app switching all day as you toggle back and forth.
According to a study by productivity software developer Mavenlink, 73% of surveyed businesses say they spend over an hour per day on average due to app-to-app navigation.
When you have two screens to work with, you can keep certain applications or websites open on one, while you’re working in the other. Instead of having to physically stop what you’re working on to bring up your email and check out a new message, you can simply glance at the other monitor and see in a split second. App switching is significantly reduced!
Simple for All Types of People to Use
Adding another monitor doesn’t come with an advanced learning curve. Once the monitors are set up, it’s easy for people to learn the new workflow.
Need to move a document or app from one display to another? Just drag it! There’s no new software to learn or a new operating system to get used to. This is one of the easiest workflow additions for anyone to jump right into using.
Get the Perfect Additional Monitor & Customized Setup
Carl’s Computer Care can help you choose the best monitor for your system and customize a dual monitor set up for your Louisiana business or home office.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation! Call 225-315-3498 or reach us online.