Developing software involves spending a large amount of hours using a computer. The extended use of a computer has been correlated with many problem such as repetitive strain injuries and cardiovascular problems. Instead of being at the mercy of the computer, to take advantage of the extended computer use, many software developers have switched to using standing desks.
Standing desks are good for the following reasons:
1) When standing, its natural for people to switch positions slightly which helps prevents repetitive staring injuries
2) Standing consumes calories which helps prevent obesity
3) When sitting down for prolonged hours a day, the hip flexors can become shorter and tighter which can cause bad posture while doing other activities
Around the office many of us have been using standing desks for months. Most commercial standing desks are usually more than $700 dollars. Also, the cheaper standing desks do not have a lot of surface space, which is especially important in app development since we need to have a lot of devices on our desks.
We set out to build our own standing desks. We based ourselves on the usual ikea standing desk idea.
My friend and co-worker Alan Yeung built his desk around the following requirements:
1) Fits 3 monitors
2) Has plenty of space for mobile devices
3) Adjustable keyboard rests
4) Is able to fit two people at the workstation for pairing
The parts
The following pictures contain the names and codes for the parts required to build this setup
Keyboard tray
Coffee tables
Bracket to hold the keyboard tray
Modular track to hold the bracket
Putting it together
Basically, just drill a whole in the table and bind the adjustable rails to the tables
Personal Recommendations
I personally like standing for about two hours and then sitting for about two hours. Switching is very important because standing for prolonged periods of time can also cause varicose veins.
I am tall enough that I do not require a modular rail, in the future I plan set up one to facilitate pairing.
I like to use a standing mat because it allows me to stand longer
Hopefully this blog will inspire you to build a standing desk of your own. If you do, leave us some comments to let us know how it turned out and any other helpful tips you may have found.