How to find best comfortable ergonomic & mouse friendly mouse pad

Most of the computer users don't care about the positions they sit, how they type, how they use mouse etc. These are a very crucial for a computer user who sits in front of computer for 6 hours a day.

Ergonomics is gaining more importance these days as we see a lot of software engineers suffering from repetitive strain injuries. Most of the major players of software industry are showing more importance in ergonomic awareness amongst their employees.

Coming to mouse pad choosing, we need to consider few very important points as we buy mousepads for ease of using mouse and to enhance its durability. Apart from these basic things, we should give importance to ergonomic aspects.

Here is a small checklist for your next mouse pad:

1. Dark in color - Make sure it is not red in color - red laser mouse won't work well on red mouse pads. Light colors may many times reflect the light more than required and affects the usability of mouse.
2. Smooth / soft - Mousepad should improve the user experience. Don't go for the one with more coefficient of friction.
3. Non-glassy surface - Glassy surface reflects more affecting the mouse pointer movements on screen.

You also need to consider factors like light weight, rigidity, non sticky base etc.

Ergonomic needs expect you to buy a clean gel mouse pad which supports your wrist and in a long run, you will not face strain problems on arms compared to your peers who don't use a gel mousepad.