For my Master's thesis I conducted an observational study of the posture of Internet users. I observed that Web users assumed a variety of postures that were not possible during traditional data-entry tasks. The summary is below - you can also read the original PDF (585k) 
. The New York Times referred to the study in August of 1999.
Posture and Internet Navigation: An Observational Study
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 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.
Not all observed postures were beneficial, though. Potentially harmful postures included:
- 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.
- Relaxed whole-body postures lead to 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 a hunched or slouched 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.
Here are some of the at-risk postures observed during web browsing:
1. Placement of non-mousing (e.g., left) elbow on chair armrest or workstation desk, resulting in direct contact pressure.
2. Web browsing supported more relaxed (reclined) whole body postures, but at the same time resulted in 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.
3. When attempting to read text, or to study Web page content, participants often leaned forward or to the side.
Are you in any of these postures right now? For more information about the study, contact me at jeffenglish@yahoo.com.
Thesis Presentations
- English, J. & Andre A.D. (1999). Posture and Web Browsing: An Observational Study. Proceedings of the 43th Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. Santa Monica, CA: Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 945-949.
- English, J.D., & Andre, A.D. (1999). Posture and Internet Navigation: An Observational Study. Proceedings of Silicon Valley Ergonomics Conference & Exposition (ErgoCon '99), San Jose, CA: San Jose State University, 126-135.
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Thesis References in Other Studies
Drop me a line if you reference this study in your research!
- Using non-keyboard input devices: interviews with users in the workplace by S. Atkinson, V. Woods, R.A. Haslam and P. Buckle,
International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 33 (2004) pp. 571-579, ISSN 0169 8141
- Cursor Control Device Characteristics by James G. Phillips and Thomas J. Triggs, OZCHI '99, November 28, 1999, New South Wales, Australia
- Characteristics of cursor trajectories controlled by the computer mouse by James G. Phillips and Thomas J. Triggs. Ergonomics, 2001, Vol 44, No.5, 527-536