Below table assumes a Desk Height at about 28.5" and user with feet flat on floor—no shoes, no footrest.
Add shoe heel height to determine the Individual Height.

Viewing angle guidelines are grounded in research by Grandjean - 88. Grandjean's research showed a comfortable maximum upward viewing angle above the horizontal plane at 5 degrees; more recent developments have nudged this downward. We have chosen eye level or horizontal as our benchmark for highest comfortable viewing angle. Persons who work in a more leaning back posture push the comfortable viewing angle well above the horizontal line.

Many standard CRT monitors have detachable bases. Removing the base will reduce monitor height 2 to 3 inches. People shorter than 64" will generally benefit by having the base removed from their monitor no matter what type of arm or lift is being used (if desk is around 28.5). The downside to removing the base is that the CRT can no longer be properly secured and the screen will be perpendicular to the floor unless the arm or stand has a tilt function. A few CRT Monitors offer varying degrees of backward tilt. Those that tilt back enhance the capability of taller workers in the standing posture to comfortably view the monitor. At the same time, the further a monitor is tilted back, likelihood of glare problems increases.

Shoe heel height must be accounted for when using the below table. If you are 5' 6" tall and you almost always wear 2" heels (while sitting and standing), then refer to the 5' 8" line to determine how arms with different travel ranges will work for you.

If you wish to do the reading, you will find that different experts have drawn different conclusions about where the average comfortable viewing angles exist. Our table above and the illustration to the left are attempts to consolidate the opinions into one general conclusion.

Things to remember when considering viewing angles:

1) Many will lean back to work at their computer; the farther one leans back (especially if using a headrest) the less relevant this graph and illustration become. We in no way suggest that the "90° 90° 90°" posture to the left is a preferred one. It is simply used for illustrative purposes. In fact we encourage multiple and changing postures through the course of a work day; and we endorse various leaning back postures.

2) There are exceptions to every rule. We see people who prefer their monitor higher than suggested norms. And we see those who want or need their monitor relatively low.

3) Simply because people can comfortably view downward does not mean that the monitor can be tilted back far enough to be viewed perpendicular to a line between the viewers eyes and the center of the screen. It is natural and preferable that the top of the screen actually be farther away from the eyes than the bottom of the screen. Our LCD arms have more backward or negative tilt capability than our CRT monitor arms.