The desk surface also needs to provide sufficient space to accommodate the
mouse, documents, and copy stand, a telephone if in use, and any other equipment that
will be utilized at the workstation. Final purchasing decisions need to be made with
care, and preferably following user trials. Often the most creative-lookingdesigns
fail in terms of usability when they are introduced into a real working environment.
A prime example of this would be the split-level computer table primarily aimed
at the home market. It is intended to represent a compact means of supporting a
screen, keyboard, mouse, and other devices. Often the lower surface, intended for
the keyboard,
offers such a small surface area that it can accommodate only the
keyboard
and does not leave sufficient space to move the mouse. Often it cannot even
provide sufficient space for users to rest their forearms in between bouts of keying;
being able to rest the forearms directly on the worksurface has been reported as being
one of the most important features when designing a worksurfacefor
computer
use
(Karlqvist 1998). To compound the problem, there is often a secondaryshelf
under
the main worksurface to support the printer. This reduces the leg space available to
the seated user.