Megan Leigh McDonald

As a professional whose main domain has always been the office, I’ve sat, stood, squatted and lain in every type of environment I can think of.  Some were my choice, others not. But each way of interacting with my computer certainly has its pros and cons.  So, I decided to put together a list of various seating positions and give a brief summary of the pros, cons and any specific adjustments that help that arrangement.

My first seating arrangement was as an assistant in a busy television sales department. Not only did I have to answer phones by chiming in a sing-songy voice (our company’s call sign was also a sexy double-entendre which the majority of the office somehow managed to miss or be bored by), but I also had to keep track of 15 sales associates and their bosses by moving some magnetic discs around a big black board which stood awkwardly behind my desk, directly in my path. My computer was on the side, so that I could rotate back and forth between greeting people and doing actual work. Did I mention it was situated right outside both of the sales managers? Fun times…there was really nothing I could do to get privacy there or avoid the pitfalls of constantly being on display.

My next position was rather quieter. I worked directly with my marketing manager, splitting her office. Rhadika was an amazing boss for me. Always sensitive, welcoming and understanding of the need for periods of quiet time, she guided me through my first real web design job, teaching and supporting. And I worked hard for her. The desk was nothing special, the room was almost always dark but that never seemed to matter to me. Always it remains a special memory for me.

Pod formation and cubicles ranked highly throughout the rest of my career. The trouble with pods is how to make them ‘your own’, a place you will be comfortable working functionally and emotionally all day long. God knows we spend enough time at work, it might as well be pleasant, especially if there are other factors which take away from the overall experience. Unfortunately, not everyone views pod customization as a worthy expense of time.

One of my jobs I sat in a very small pod in the middle of a development team. I really enjoyed the camaradarie of being able to engage in the clever comments that were passed around all day long. In fact, that’s the thing I miss the most about that job, after of course the wine and dinner evenings we all shared. The majority of the people I worked with there were European and in the midst of so much diversity, we all fit very well together.

Another job was in the old Salon.com offices (our company had taken over that spot after Salon moved on to bigger and better office space). I sat at a tiny desk with one small monitor with dust bunnies the size of, well, regular bunnies at my feet. I sat in between 2 of the sales people, since I was the only designer there. I love sales people. They are outgoing, personable and funny. I learned alot just listening to these folks.

Oh and I almost forgot that when I worked for myself, I started out in the basement of an old brownstone in a very dark corner of my bedroom, stuffed to the gill with my belongings. I stared out the bars that lined my window and searched for clients. After a successful first year, I moved upstairs to a 2 room parlor suite with a great view down the beautiful tree-lined street. I set up the back bedroom for my sleeping quarters and arranged the front room like a very bohemian office.  I created a table I could stand up to and work on as needed, but my desk was still a regular height that I could sit at. And sit I did, on a yoga ball, in order to strengthen my back. It definitely was challenging, but regular exercise is just as good, if not better.

Other positions I have had involve either laying on a couch with my laptop or sitting in a bean bag in a similar fashion. The one piece of advice I would give there is to use a lap guard. Some of them even have handy fans that run off of your USB drive.

Since moving to California, I have shared a conference room with about a half dozen other UX designers and sat in ‘pods’. If you’re wondering what pods are, you’re probably from the East Coast. I too was mystified when I first heard that term, but soon found out it involved sitting at desks that had no drawers, facing my coworkers. It made communication easier, but I have to comment that it probably also saved the company lots of money in furniture. It also meant that anything I needed had to reside in a rolling file cabinet or on my desk. I really didn’t customize my deskspace. That was the tradeoff. It wasn’t very personal. And in order to get privacy from my pod-mates, some of which would have a habit of staring into space in my direction, I’d have to use a document holder and a piece of paper just to feel like I could think privately.

A certain large northern california company took a lot of care in choosing pods that were connected, leaving enough privacy for close-in work, but also open enough to have conversations. Not that anyone did, have conversations. The other thing they encouraged, since everyone’s pods looked exactly alike and it was hard to know where you were at any given time, was decoration. There I took on a seaside theme, which I continue to this day at my present job. It does help people know where I’m at.

My current situation is a standing desk with a couple footrests and tall chair for when my feet get tired. My back is really strong right now and I find it easier to move around while switching between different tasks. I also have a bit more storage underneath my desk for bookcases and posterboards.

Give me a shout if you have any questions.