Effect of display orientation on character detection of characters on VDT screens

In this study, a comparison was made between two CRT display angles: 10 and 45 degrees. The hypothesis was that if you have an ergonomically designed workstation and the CRT is tilted at 45-degree angle, making it perpendicular to the line of sight, there would be an improvement in character detection and productivity. My approach for comparing the two display angles was to randomly assign both display-angle conditions to 38 subjects, measuring their average speed and accuracy. These paired responses were then analyzed by computing their differences. The results indicated that there had in fact been a decrease in accuracy in switching from a 10-degree display to a 45-degree display. Lack of familiarity with a 45-degree display may have produced this difference. Ergonomics and workstation design are important considerations in using computer screens. My results suggest that more research is needed on human factors involved in display orientation and workstation design.