Case Study
- Rebecca Woodul, Work from Home Professional
Products
- SmartFit® One-Touch Height Adjustable Single Monitor Arm (K55470WW)
- Pro Fit® Ergo Wireless Keyboard (Gray K75402US / Black K75401US)
- Pro Fit® Ergo Wireless Mouse (Gray K75405WW / Black K75404WW)
- Pro Fit® Ergo Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Bundle (Gray K75407US / Black K75406US)
- SmartFit® SoleMate™ Pro Ergonomic Foot Rest (K50409WW)
Deployment
- Home office
Overview
Before her ergonomic upgrade, Rebecca was working off a laptop with no external equipment. Her workstation was not ergonomic by accepted standards. We provided her with a complete lineup of our must-have desktop ergonomic equipment, asking that she record her successes and struggles with each product. Besides addressing repetitive wrist use and back pain issues, we expected marked improvements in her comfort, productivity, and energy levels. Because she was new to our equipment, we were eager to see how quickly she would set up and adapt to the adjustable products in the lineup, given the guidance of their integrated, easy-to-use SmartFit® systems.
The Challenge
We understood the kinds of tasks Rebecca performs each day, and any Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) or Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSIs) she experienced that our products could address.
Above all, she needed to adopt a healthier mousing technique. Because a sizable portion of her work requires repetitive tasks, Rebecca had overused her wrist in the past and suffered from ongoing wrist and forearm pain. She needed a mouse design that would allow her wrist to heal fully, and that prevented recurring pain.
She also needed to bring more movement to the desk, to help prevent back pain she’d struggled with in prior years caused by sitting for prolonged periods.
Her primary work functions are highly visual, so she needed total control over the placement of her screen. She wanted to elevate her external monitor to eye level and have fine-tuned adjustment of its screen’s tilt and the distance between the screen and her eyes.
Because Rebecca is a long-form copywriter, her new ergonomic keyboard needed to support a safe, healthy typing posture without compromising speed or accuracy.
Last, because she works from home, she wanted her desk to have a professional aesthetic that triggered ‘work mode’ in the way going into the office each day might.
The Solution
We gave Rebecca our SmartFit® One-Touch Height Adjustable Single Monitor Arm to allow her to elevate her monitor for comfortable viewing. It would also give her total control over the orientation of her screen, preventing eye and neck strain. We were confident its integrated SmartFit® system would make finding the perfect placement easy.
To address Rebecca’s wrist overuse concerns, we supplied her with our Pro Fit® Ergo Wireless Mouse — a vertically oriented mouse that encourages mousing from the arm muscles rather than the wrist. The Pro Fit® Ergo is also contoured to the hand and would allow Rebecca to maneuver the device without having to grip tightly and create tension.
To help Rebecca improve the ergonomics of her typing technique, we gave her our Pro Fit® Ergo Wireless Keyboard. Specifically, we wanted to see if the curved keyboard design would or wouldn’t compromise her typing speed and accuracy.
To help her bring more movement to her desk, we provided Rebecca with our SmartFit® SoleMate™ Pro Ergonomic Foot Rest. The angle of the rotating footrest is adjustable by foot and would allow Rebecca to move it with ease throughout the day, facilitating postural variation.
Kensington’s equipment met Rebecca’s needs by unlocking the following benefits:
- Prevention of neck and eye strain – SmartFit® One-Touch Height Adjustable Single Monitor Arm elevated Rebecca’s work to eye-level and afforded total mobility of her screen. The monitor arm also improved her productivity by allowing her to set up her second screen properly
- Healthy mousing technique adopted – Rebecca learned vertical mousing using her arm muscles with the Pro Fit® Ergo Wireless Mouse. She could heal her inflamed wrist while continuing to work and is preventing future wrist overuse
- Safe, efficient typing – Our Pro Fit® Ergo Wireless Keyboard clued Rebecca into improper typing technique — once corrected, Rebecca surpassed her speed and accuracy baselines and is now preventing discomfort and injury by sustaining safe technique
- More postural variation – Our SmartFit® SoleMate™ Pro Ergonomic Foot Rest introduced more movement to the desk
- Professional aesthetics – Her workstation triggers ‘work mode’ through sleek black and gray finishes, concealed wires, and sturdy equipment
- Easy adoption – The SmartFit® system made it easy for Rebecca to set up her adjustable products
With Kensington’s tools, Rebecca found more comfort, productivity, and energy at her desk. Before our ‘intervention,’ she was concerned about her worsening wrist pain. Unable to take off work, allowing it to heal, she needed an alternative solution. Though both mousing vertically and typing on a curved keyboard presented learning curves, she was happy to discover healthier techniques that would protect her hands, wrists, and forearms.
Learning healthier typing and mousing techniques have been life-savers for my work because computing is my livelihood. I have also got to say that the monitor arm is an absolute must-have if you want to elevate your workflow. It seamlessly lifts your second monitor up and out of the way, clearing desk space beneath for handwriting notes. And it allows you to view two screens, both at comfortable viewing heights, giving your desk a truly professional look. - Rebecca Woodul, Copywriter and Content Marketer