Ergonomic Evaluation of Keyboard and Mouse Tray Designs

Surface electromyography and electrogoniometry were used to evaluate four designs of keyboard and mouse trays. The four designs were: winged design, sliding design, two-tier design and combination of a keyboard tray and a mouse tray. For comparison, data were also collected with the keyboard and mouse placed on a plain work surface. Eight subjects, four male and four female, evaluated the designs in random order while performing a word processing task. Subjects' working postures were recorded using a high-resolution video camera. Body part discomfort was evaluated using the Corlett scale. The subjective and objective results suggested that the sliding design and the two-tier design performed better than the other two designs. The work surface performed inferior to all four keyboard and mouse tray designs. Since mouse input devices are widespread in modern offices, this study could provide some useful information to practicing ergonomics, health and safety professionals.