Home office ergonomics glossary
Every technical term used on this site, explained in plain English. No marketing fluff.
- BIFMA
- Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association. Certification standard for office furniture durability and safety. BIFMA-certified chairs have passed stress tests simulating 10+ years of use.
- Lumbar support
- Lower-back cushioning designed to match the natural inward curve of the spine. Adjustable lumbar support is essential for anyone sitting 6+ hours daily.
- PostureFit SL
- Herman Miller patented lumbar and sacral support system on the Aeron chair. Pushes the pelvis forward to maintain natural spine S-curve.
- Sit-Stand Ratio
- Percentage of work time spent standing vs sitting. Research recommends 50-70% sitting / 30-50% standing. Alternating every 30-45 minutes beats 100% standing.
- Height Memory Preset
- Standing desk feature that stores 2-4 favorite heights for one-button recall. Essential for shared desks or alternating sit-stand.
- Anti-Fatigue Mat
- Cushioned mat designed to reduce leg and back fatigue during standing. Premium mats (Topo) have sculpted terrain that encourages micro-movement.
- VESA Mount
- Monitor mounting standard. Common sizes: 75x75mm, 100x100mm, 200x200mm. Check your monitor before buying an arm.
- Monitor Arm Weight Capacity
- Max monitor weight the arm supports. Always choose arms rated 20%+ above your monitor weight for long-term stability.
- Chair Gas Lift Class
- BIFMA-rated gas cylinder class. Class 4 = safest, used in premium chairs. Cheap office chairs often use Class 2-3 cylinders that fail faster.
- Mesh vs Foam Seat
- Seat padding trade-off. Foam = softer, warmer. Mesh = firmer, cooler. Herman Miller Aeron uses proprietary 8Z Pellicle mesh.
- Armrest Adjustments (1D/2D/3D/4D)
- Number of armrest movement axes. 1D = height only. 4D = height, width, forward-back, pivot. More axes = better elbow positioning.
- Forward Tilt
- Chair tilt setting that rocks the seat forward, keeping the spine neutral for focused work. Critical for ergonomic coding.
- Seat Depth (Pan Depth)
- Distance from back of seat to front edge. Should allow 2-3 fingers between seat edge and back of knee.
- Dynamic Sitting
- Seating that encourages micro-movement (active stools, balance chairs). Strengthens core over weeks of use.
- Standing Desk Stability
- How much the desk wobbles at full height. Measured in inches of sway. Premium desks sway less than 0.5 inch at max height.
- Scissor vs Mechanical Keys
- Keyboard switch types. Scissor keys (Logitech MX Keys) = low-profile, quiet. Mechanical keys = tactile, louder.
- Blue Light Filter Percentage
- Amount of blue light (380-500nm) blocked by glasses. 65%+ recommended for evening screen use.
- Color Rendering Index (CRI)
- How accurately a desk lamp renders colors (0-100). CRI 90+ is essential for designers. BenQ ScreenBar Plus = CRI 95.