Ask HN: What is the best seating for productivity?

1 points by woriuweflksdncn 5 years ago | 3 comments

What kind of seating do you find best for studying, programming, or general computer work? I'm not necessarily looking for specific products, but more like features, sitting positions, etc. I know ergonomics is a big field, but I couldn't find much about this particular topic. Personally, I like sitting in a reclined position for long sessions on a laptop. I haven't experimented with one yet, but I've been anxious to try using an over-bed desk/table like you see in hospitals. What do you use? Do you know of any research in this area?

gregjor 5 years ago |

I guess it depends on what you mean by “productivity.” If that comes from quantity of typing you can optimize for that. 90% of my productive work happens in my head, maybe while laying on the sofa, maybe when out for a walk. I doubt my chair has much to do with it.

woriuweflksdncn 5 years ago | |

I agree, I probably do my best thinking while not staring at a screen. But I'm asking about seating for work that requires a computer.

gregjor 5 years ago | | |

In my several decades of experience sitting at desks writing code and staring at screens, I’ve found desks and chairs fall into two groups: ok and miserable. If I can sit comfortably for a couple of hours I feel productive. I don’t believe a different chair or keyboard setup would give me a 10X improvement, or even 2X. With so many other ways to improve my productivity — including not sitting at a desk for too long — changing my seating position or typing setups falls way down on the list of things I would experiment with.

Anecdotally I’ve worked with a few people who spent a lot of time optimizing their work environment, and even more time telling everyone about it and making unsupported claims about their greatly enhanced productivity. I have not seen any actual evidence to support those claims, just evidence that they had found something to do other than their job, like getting a treadmill desk at work.