Bent necks and twisted wrists: Exploring the impact of touch-screen tablets on the posture of office workers

Katarzyna Stawarz*, Rachel Benedyk

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference Contribution (Conference Proceeding)

11 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Touch-screen tablets are becoming increasingly popular as office work tools. However, as current health and safety regulations applied to office equipment do not cover tablets, the importance of understanding their impact on the posture of office workers increases. As the research on ergonomic issues related to tablet use is scarce, especially in the context of office work, we explore, through an online questionnaire, semi-structured interviews and observations with postural analysis, how and where office workers use tablets and what potential posture-related issues could arise as a result. Our findings show that the lack of screen adjustability and the virtual keyboard encourage poor posture and tablet use could lead to discomfort in a number of body areas, especially the neck and wrists.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationHCI 2013 - 27th International British Computer Society Human Computer Interaction Conference: The Internet of Things
PublisherBritish Computer Society
ISBN (Print)9780000000002
Publication statusPublished - 2013
Event27th International British Computer Society Human Computer Interaction Conference: The Internet of Things, HCI 2013 - London, United Kingdom
Duration: 9 Sept 201313 Sept 2013

Conference

Conference27th International British Computer Society Human Computer Interaction Conference: The Internet of Things, HCI 2013
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityLondon
Period9/09/1313/09/13

Keywords

  • Ergonomics
  • Office work
  • Posture
  • Touch screen tablets

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Bent necks and twisted wrists: Exploring the impact of touch-screen tablets on the posture of office workers'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this