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<h1 id="why-i-stopped-using-an-external-monitor">Why I Stopped Using an External Monitor</h1>
<p>2023-03-03</p>
<p>For the longest time I’ve been using a Samsung 27” UHD monitor as my main display. This monitor was connected to my ThinkPad X260 (in clamshell mode) through the official Lenovo dock. It wasn’t a bad setup, but I have since changed my ways.</p>
<p>Instead, I now <em>only</em> use the X260’s panel as my main display. Let me explain my reasoning…</p>
<h2 id="the-switch-to-suckless">The Switch to Suckless</h2>
<p>Over the past year I switched away from a traditional desktop environment to a window manager - <a href="https://dwm.suckless.org/">dwm</a> to be specific. This also involved changing most of my daily software programs to utilize the full suckless “suite”. In doing so, the shift away from floating windows and virtualized desktops happened quickly.</p>
<p>I continued to use my UHD monitor with this new environment but slowly started running into minor (yet still inconvenient) roadblocks:</p>
<ul>
<li>Tiled mode was not the most optimized for such a large monitor. I found myself defaulting into “floating” mode which defeats the purpose of a WM.</li>
<li>The screen was almost <em>too</em> large - making content placed on the far edges of the screen difficult to view at a glance.</li>
<li>I stopped using tags, since I ended up piling applications on top of one another in a single view. Again - defeating the point of a WM.</li>
</ul>
<p>All of these issues were close to making me ditch the external monitor altogether, but it was my day-to-day job that struck the final blow…</p>
<h2 id="designing-for-everyday-users">Designing for Everyday Users</h2>
<p>As a UX/UI front-end designer by trade, my job requires me to create and tweak interfaces that essentially go <em>unnoticed</em> by the end-users. If you finish a task you sought out to complete without even thinking about <em>how</em> you did it - then I succeeded at my job. The problem is, we designers and developers tend to forget the constraints a majority of our users experience. In this case - screen resolution.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.browserstack.com/guide/ideal-screen-sizes-for-responsive-design">A study performed by BrowserStack via statcounter (2022)</a> shows the worldwide market share based on device type:</p>
<ul>
<li>58.33% mobile</li>
<li>39.65% desktop</li>
<li>2.02% tablet</li>
</ul>
<p>The mobile aspect is certainly important, but we are focusing on the desktop data. Of that total the top two screen resolutions are:</p>
<ul>
<li>1920×1080 (9.94%)</li>
<li>1366×768 (6.22%)</li>
</ul>
<p>That is a fairly significant chunk of desktop users. Although almost 10% have access to screens set at <code>1920x1080</code>, I found the amount of those stuck at <code>1366x768</code> to be quite shocking. Here I was, developing large-set interfaces on an UHD 4K monitor while a large portion of my end-users would never benefit from those “pixel-perfect” designs. </p>
<p>Hell, some of these users were being shown the <em>tablet</em>-based view of the applications since our breakpoints were so ridiculously large. Yikes.</p>
<p>So, I said screw it and retired the external monitor. Now my X260 is propped up and proudly showing off its 1366x768 display. It only took a day or so to adapt to this new setup and I don’t think I could go back to another massive display.</p>
<p>Here are some benefits at a glance:</p>
<ul>
<li>I no longer have to worry about “context switching” if I decide to un-dock my laptop and work somewhere mobile. The desktop experience remains intact.</li>
<li>Working inside <code>dwm</code> is a much cleaner experience. I mostly operate single applications within their own confined tag - with some exceptions of course.</li>
<li>I’m able to instantly understand frustrations of everyday users while developing new features or tweaking existing UIs. Being able to advocate for our end-users by using legit use cases is extremely helpful. (Removes the “design by gut-feeling” mistakes)</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="a-little-extreme">A Little Extreme</h2>
<p>Yes, I am aware that I could simply keep the UHD monitor and perform my work within a constrained portion of the screen. The problem that remains is “quality”. Most 1366x768 panels are not even close to the level of hi-res found on most 4K monitors. By using such a display I would be cheating myself of the standard experience a good portion of my end-users endure. </p>
<p>I want to see the fuzzy text, slightly blurred imagery and muted button shadows. I want to see these things because that’s how some <em>users</em> will experience it.</p>
<p>Maybe that’s extreme - but it works for me.</p>
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