All organizations want to improve business performance. How can the modern business organization ensure that their meeting and collaboration rooms nurture sensible thinking and smart, efficient decisions?
“If you're able to squeeze out 10% more productivity, do you know how much money that will save?” -Mary Czerwinski, Microsoft Research
While working for Barco, I wrote a white paper about the advantages of a high-resolution display compared to displays with lower resolution. In this blog post, I will highlight some of the key findings of the white paper. The white paper was specifically targeted at meeting and collaboration rooms. In later articles, we will look at the benefits of high resolution and big screen displays for other applications and uses.
Many of us will have experienced the same dilemma: work is done on high-resolution display monitors, but when data is presented, discussed and critical decisions are made – the content is presented on a low-resolution presentation screen.
Recommended reading: Choosing the right contrast ratio for your installation, about contrast levels for different viewing categories such as critical decisions.
Why should displays in meeting and collaboration rooms have lower pixel real estate than on a desktop monitor? This effectively limits efficient collaboration and the interpretation of (big) data.
Key advantages of a high-resolution display:
- Single visualization yields quicker discovery and correction of error
- Faster and more efficient work
- Productivity increases with bigger screen space
- Increased user satisfaction level with large screen size and resolution
- Widescreen format gives the best results
- Desktop environments benefit from multi-screen
Single visualization yields quicker discovery and correction of error
When displaying all data in a single visualization environment, the discovery and correction of data errors is quicker. Take a look at this BYOD pilot project at Norrköping Decision Arena which lets all participants plug in and display data in the round.
Faster and more efficient work
According to a study conducted by Pfeiffer Consulting task times are significantly reduced (up to 63%) when a high-resolution display is used for working in spread sheets or word processing.
A bigger screen increases productivity
Increased screen space increases productivity of complex office tasks, according to a 2014 study from Stuttgart University. That translates into time-saving in a meeting environment that is focused on collaboration rather than a one-way presentation. The same study noted that users – not surprisingly – prefer larger displays over smaller displays.
Increased user satisfaction level with large screen size and resolution
The user satisfaction level increases with screen size and high pixel count. Let’s face it: we may not always like what’s on the screen, but we at least want to be able to read it…
Widescreen format gives the best results
Wide is preferred. Even better than multiple screens. Ten years ago, PC World noted that organizations that upgraded standard-format monitors to widescreen displays could boost productivity by up to 76 extra work days a year per worker. The widescreen format continues to appeal to users in both creative and financial spheres. When used on a larger scale in a meeting environment, a widescreen format can aid collaborative presentations.
Desktop environments benefit from multi-screen
Several studies have indicated that desktop environments benefit with a multi-screen setup. A multi-screen setup seems to encourage multi-tasking as the user has greater peripheral awareness. Users also feel able to see all relevant info at once and spend less time moving or resizing windows, although bezels can be perceived as a challenge. In tests, a dual screen setup was preferred over a 2 x 2 quad setup.
References:
- “30 Inch Apple Cinema HD display productivity benchmark”, Pfeiffer Consulting
- “NEC Monitor Size and Aspect Ratio Productivity Research”, University of Utah
- Microsoft Research : “The Large-Display User Experience”, “Toward Characterizing the Productivity Benefits of Very Large Displays Experience”, George Robertson, Mary Czerwinski, Patrick Baudisch, Brian Meyers, Daniel Robbins, Greg Smith, and Desney Tan
- “Large Screen Interaction as a Supporting Tool for Collaboration”, Jesper Jonathan Bisgaard, Morten Heise, Carsten Steffensen
- “High-resolution displays effective for regional interpretation”, Mary Cole and Phill Norlund, Halliburton
