Millions of people "surf" the Web every day, yet this kind of leisure computer activity is rarely the focus of the average person's health concerns, or the ubiquitous professional ergonomic workstation evaluation. Web users are provided with an opportunity to vary their postures outside of those that have been historically observed and recommended for keyboard-based data entry tasks. Two characteristics of Web browsing result in its unique ergonomic qualities. First, the functions performed while browsing are largely de-coupled from the keyboard and desktop. Second, users often must wait for Web sites to load, providing intermittent periods of inactivity. A study recently completed by Jeff English and me, using the usability research lab at Interface Analysis Associates, examined the ergonomics of web browsing and revealed some very interesting findings.

The Good News: Beneficial Postures during Web Browsing

The study revealed that Web browsing is conducive to several good habits for computer users:

• People tend to change their posture more during Web browsing than during typing.
• People generally adopt a more relaxed whole-body postures and relax their non-mousing arm during Web browsing tasks.
• People occasionally took the opportunity to relax their mousing hand/arm while waiting for pages to connect or load.

The Bad News: Dangerous Postures during Web Browsing

From the findings of this research, we know that computer users should be aware of the following potential harmful habits when browsing the web:

• People often place their non-mousing (e.g., left) elbow on chair armrest or workstation desk, resulting in potential harmful direct contact pressure on the elbow.
• The more relaxed posture (discussed above) results in a few dangerous habits, such as: 1) greater extension of the arm and shoulder to reach the mouse, 2) an increased probability of planting at the wrist, and 3) greater wrist deviations.
• When attempting to read text, or to study Web page content, people tend to lean forward or to the side (of the non-mousing hand), resulting in less-than-optimal sitting posture.
• While some people took advantage of the inherent "waiting" periods that accompany Web browsing, the majority keep their hand on the mouse, even when they were not actively mousing.

4 Tips for Healthier Web Browsing

• While waiting for pages to connect or load, change your body posture, relax your arms at the side of your body, or better yet, stand up and stretch. Don't hold the mouse, or hover over the keyboard when you don't have to.
• Be careful not to plant the elbow of the non-mousing arm on the armrest or desktop; instead, allow that arm to hang at the side of your body or relax in your lap.
• If you adopt a reclined posture while Web browsing, consider moving your mouse closer to your body. Avoid having to fully extend your arm to reach and use your mouse.
• Take advantage of the flexibility afforded by Web browsing to vary your postures-try not to remain in any one posture for too long.
  

Time flies when your having fun, so be careful not to spend too much time surfing the Web for entertainment. We spend enough time on our computers performing work-related tasks. Remember that the "R" in RSI stands for repetitive.

References
English, J. & Andre A.D. (1999). Posture and Internet navigation: An observational study. In Proceedings of the Silicon Valley Ergonomics Conference & Exposition (ErgoCon '99), pp.126-135, San Jose, CA.