Creating a Portable Laptop Workstation

More workers are incorporating laptops into their working environment, especially those who travel extensively or work both at home and in the office. However, formulating a strategy for how to work on a laptop without the potential for injury can be challenging, since laptops have been designed primarily for compactness and portability and not for ergonomics. In order to work around these design limitations, users require accessories which can compensate for these inherent deficiencies. This month we will cover the two portable categories: Ultra-Compact and Compact Portable Laptop Stands; next month we will cover other laptop stands.

 

NOTE - One critical additional accessory required to improve the ergonomics of most laptop accessories is an external keyboard and pointing device. While the top of the display should be level with your eyes, the keyboard and mouse should be almost on your lap so that there is a slight downward slope to your forearms while typing and mousing. Consequently, as there are no laptops which allow for the display to separate from the keyboard, an external mouse and keyboard is often a critical addition towards creating an ergonomic laptop workstation.

 

Ultra Compact Portable Laptop Stand Category

 

Primary Purpose: Elevate Laptop Screen to a More Appropriate Height

 

Ergonomic Basis: The recommended height for the top of the viewable portion of a computer monitor is level with the eyes of the user. Use a stand to elevate the back of the laptop in a stable fashion while maintaining the position (or lowering i.e. cantilevering) the front of the laptop. This creates a greater height differential between the laptop's keyboard and screen than is otherwise possible, improving the ergonomics when not using an external keyboard and mouse.

 

Additional Features to Consider: 1) Ability to cantilever the laptop over the edge of the surface the laptop is sitting on. 2) Multiple angles of adjustment (yielding more range of laptop display height).

 

Sample Products in this Category: Aviator Laptop Stand, Cricket Laptop Stand

 

Compact Portable Laptop Stand Category

 

Primary Purpose: Elevate Laptop Screen to the Correct Height

 

Ergonomic Basis: In order to achieve the correct height, multiple positions or settings are required and compact stands usually have 5 or more 'angles' which ensure that users can adjust the laptop to the optimal height. However as you increase the height of the screen, you also increase the positive inclination of the keyboard which increases the attractiveness of an external keyboard.

 

Additional Features to Consider: 1) An in-line document holder which offers an easel to cover up the laptop keyboard and position reference documents (this can be built-in to the laptop stand or be a completely separate accessory (such as the Compact Microdesk, our Featured Promo of the Month) 2) How compact the unit is during transport 3) Cooling Fans, Hubs and other 'plug-in' accessories

 

Sample Products in this Category: Ergo-Q Notebook Stands, Go! Travel Notebook Stand, Lap Lounge

 

Convenience vs. Ergonomics

 

It is important to keep in mind that laptops are essentially combination devices designed with convenience in mind. These 'all-in-one' devices house a monitor, a CPU, a keyboard and (usually) a touchpad, and have all the disadvantages one typically encounters with combination devices. This is why it is equally important to offset these disadvantages when creating a workstation with a laptop by delegating the most used functions to accessory devices that perform optimally for that function. The goal is to find the appropriate balance of portability (convenience) and comfort (ergonomics) that meets your needs. Ultra-Compact Laptop Stands are usually more convenient and less ergonomic, and Compact Laptop Stands are usually less convenient and more ergonomic.