In an actual workplace, Garland and colleagues studied the physical and mental consequences of using adjustable workstations. The team report that “Adjustable workstations (AWS) promote health by allowing transitions between sitting and standing…Employees were randomly selected from one office floor to receive AWS, two identical floors maintained TD [traditional desks]. Participants [all] received workplace wellness and ergonomic training…Compared to TD…participants with AWS…[self] reported significantly less sedentary behavior…after AWS installation…47 percent of participants with AWS reported decline in upper back, shoulder, and neck discomfort…65 percent [of AWS participants] reported increased productivity…Individuals with normal or underweight body mass index (BMI) reported a significantly greater decline in percent of time sitting compared to participants with overweight or obese BMI.”
Elizabeth Garland, Abigail Watts, John Doucette, Mary Foley, Aralia Senerat, and Sadie Sanchez. 2018. “Stand Up to Work: Assessing the Health Impact of Adjustable Workstations.” International Journal of Workplace Health Management, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 85-95, https://doi.org/10.1108/IJWHM-10-2017-0078
Sally Augustin, PhD,a cognitive scientist, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesignconnections.com), a monthly subscription newsletter and free daily blog, where recent and classic research in the social, design, and physical sciences that can inform designers’ work are presented in straightforward language. Readers learn about the latest research findings immediately, before they’re available elsewhere. Sally, who is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, is also the author of Place Advantage: Applied Psychology for Interior Architecture (Wiley, 2009) and, with Cindy Coleman, The Designer’s Guide to Doing Research: Applying Knowledge to Inform Design (Wiley, 2012). She is a principal at Design With Science (www.designwithscience.com) and can be reached at sallyaugustin@designwithscience.com.