Much has been made of the flat-panel display on the new iMac, but the use of anti-aliased typefaces in Windows XP is the true revolution in screen design this year.
The new ClearType technology that is included in XP probably increases reading speed by somewhere between 10% and 15% for users with flat screens.
Unfortunately ClearType doesn't work on traditional CRT monitors, but even worse, it's turned off by default in new installations of XP, even for users with flat screens. And due to the clunky nature of user preferences in Windows, few users will find it if they don't know where to look.
To turn on ClearType, go to Control Panel > Display > Appearance > Effects and turn on the checkbox for "smooth edges of screen fonts," making sure that the popup menu reads "ClearType."
There, reading we just saved you $2,000.
To estimate the cost-savings from anti-aliased screen fonts, consider a business professional who makes $50,000 per year. If this user spends 20% of his or her time reading emails, intranet pages, and other documents on the computer screen, then the screen costs the company $20,000 per year (using the traditional rule that employees cost twice their salary due to benefits, overhead, etc.).
ClearType will make this user at least 10% more productive while reading from the screen, for a gain of $2,000.
Useit.com
Jakob Nielsen is one of my favorite web gurus. You can thank him for much of the usability design of my current and future web site. I first learned of his work two years ago and that is when the web site started to dramatically improve.
Jakob charges $10,000 to evaluate a web site's home page and he has even redone the US White House's home page.
I just love the Clear Type recommendation above since I only use flat panel monitors. I abandoned CRT tubes about three years ago even though the display cost me $1500 back then. I thought it was more than worth it to not be exposed to the extra EMFs.
Fortunately the prices of 15-inch flat panel monitors have dramatically dropped. I just purchased four more for my office at $300 apiece from my favorite local store, Costco.