How many monitors do you need to boost productivity? That is the topic of an editorial by Clay Johnson over at InfoVegan.com. He argues that it is the number of pixels that matters, not the number of monitors.
My take: there’s an optimal number of pixels you need to complete the tasks you need to complete. Worry about that number, not the number of monitors you have. That optimal number, for the vast majority of people is about 2500×1400.
Personally, I disagree. There are many instances when having multiple monitors can boost productivity. Currently I have finished writing and evaluating several proposals in my line of work. I could tell a drop off in productivity when I moved from my dual 30″ Dell monitors at work (which is 5120×1600 for those keeping count), to my single 1920×1200 monitor at home, to my laptop. I could still accomplish the work, it just took a lot more window switching. The same thing can be said for switching between 3D Studio Max and Adobe After Effects. If you find yourself switching windows a good bit, then your productivity could be increased by adding monitors or going with a high resolution monitor.
On the other hand, if all you are doing is just two windows at a time (for example, email and web browsing), then you will not see much of a gain in productivity by adding more monitors.
Finally, there is the use of multiple monitors for gaming, as in the image to the upper right. I am all for it.
The more pixels the better. Get a multi-screen computer and you’ll see the difference.
I’m not sure that the amount of pixels is always relevant. Sometimes, yes but not always. In my case, I use both monitors for the same task. It is amazing how much time can be lost when you’re switching between windows. And it’s not as though desk space is a problem any more, there are a lot of multi screen support systems available now.