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Multi-Monitors and Increased Development Productivity?

Posted by Cliff on from the two-heads-are-better-than-one dept.

cK-Gunslinger asks: "I'm looking for some definitive, legitimate studies/research that show that using a multiple-monitor setup yields increased productivity for code development. (or disproves, as the case may be.) I've seen many online 'articles' that praise the virtues of multi-monitor setups for content creation and HTML editing, but my interest lies more in the OO design, coding, and test realm. Sites such as RealTime offer some good info, albeit not completely unbiased. And who doesn't drool over X-Top systems. I'd like to submit a proposal to our IT and Process groups recommending a "trial run" on some small project, but am having a difficult time finding enough empirical evidence to crack the budget-clench. I'd also be interested in user comments on how multi-mon setups have helped your productivity as well as how you typically use your setup (what apps, how many monitors, CRT vs LCD, etc.)"

2 of 58 comments (clear)

  1. It's just too obvious... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Well, let's see. You could have a positive ROI in one year if it saved you 1-10 minutes per day. (Depending on cost of card/monitor combo you want and average loaded cost of the developers you're talking about.)

    Consider that it takes 3-5 seconds to go to a task bar/dock/menu to bring up a buried window, but only about 1 second (or less) to flick the mouse over the window on the second monitor. Now consider how many times per day you switch between a debugger window and the window of an app being debugged, or between different code windows you're comparing, or between a code window and a documentation window. The ROI of a second monitor is impressively large--partly because the cost is so low these days.

    This message brought to you by a programmer who is temporarily without his second monitor because of equipment failure--it hurts!

  2. Budget Justification by aaarrrgggh · · Score: 3, Informative

    The easiest way to justify going to a two-headed machine is to compare it with a dual-box system. While the PC might not be too expensive, the extra software licenses add up quickly. Generally the people that can make a good argument are the ones that are working on several different projects or applications at once.

    Most companies treat resources based on monitors rather than boxes; if you can justify a need for a second box then it is easy enough to just go for a second monitor. The trick is to make sure that the arguments for a second PC don't interfere with just having a dual-headed system.

    The other secret is that this is more about morale than productivity for the boss. Although it might not be much of a stretch to claim a 2% productivity increase which would pay for the equipment inside a year, it's easier to express your frustration with working with several small windows that don't offer a full picture of the project.