COVID-19/Custom User Accounts
A computer, whether it's a desktop, tablet, laptop, notebook or any other shape or size, can be used for many things. Too often we use the same interface when a unique desktop (or screen) would be more efficient and better suitable to the range of tasks or activities we do. Virtual desktops have their uses, but also some severe limitations.
My own solution was to create separate user accounts and divide my applications and file storage for each user profile. Yesterday I was using music editing and midi software from a desktop which was uncluttered with other shortcuts or applications and the screen background was 'musical'. Today I logged in to my web development profile and have relevant software prominent, and have modified several articles without interruption from my email or news reader.
The decision to create and use separate user profiles is transformative, would apply to any person for whom a computer has many distinct uses, and particularly to those new teleworkers who will need to adapt to working from home and separating work from home.
Background
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic I was configuring a network attached storage device (NAS); to backup my local data I wanted to sync files on my computer's storage drives and my NAS drives; this led me to think about how I structure my storage; and that led to thinking about how I use the desktop. Microsoft virtual desktops were not what I wanted, so I chose to create several user accounts for myself on my own computer, each with a specific purpose. The reasoning is described below, and the advantages for those who are, or will be, working from home will become apparent. As I write this, todays' news suggests a shortage of desks, office chairs and monitors as people are preparing to work from home. One Australian company just sent 20,000 people home, to work from there. And after this crisis is over, my guess is that many people will continue to work from home. It may become the new normal. So the sections below describe what I have recently tested and proven.
Virtual Desktops
Linux has had virtual desktops for decades. Each desktop can have a different background, a different set of icons, and can be customised to suit a range of tasks which will be different from other desktops.
Microsoft Windows virtual desktops are less customisable and less useful. I used to have two or three monitors on my desk, both at work and at home. Then I went to a single wide screen monitor. Vitual desktops in Windows are like having an extra monitor or two - if the desktops were joined together it could create a panorama. However, with two monitors it is possible to have an open window appear partially on one screen and the remainder on the adjacent screen. Open windows on Microsoft virtual desktops do not behave like that.
With virtual desktops on a Windows operating system the preferences of the current user are used on all desktops - so they will have the same background, the same icons and the same taskbar. Forums discussing the value of virtual desktops are full of comments about how nice it would be to be able to customise each desktop separately. Apparently there are some add-ons or enhancements which increse the functionality which are worth searching for, but I decided to use different user profiles instead.
User profiles
When a new user is created on a Windows-based computer the operating system creates a profile. Basic properties include the user name and password, and privilege or user-group memnership. The operating system creates a folder in C:/Users and a default folder structure which includes the My Documents folder, Downloads folder etc.
Each user can customise their own desktop and taskbar, internet favourites, preferences for each application, email and shortcuts.
A common use for additional users on a home PC is to have an administrator login for the main user and another login for children which has less privileges. Or, on a shared computer, perhaps separate user names for each teenager so they can set their own preferences.
To easily switch between users you need to enable Fast User Switching.
Work at Home
If a person is performing work at home on a shared computer then it is important to reduce security risks by enforcing the use of individual logins and ensuring that two concerns are addressed: privacy, and protection from viruses and other malware. Ideally, a computer used for work would be supplied by the employer, connect to the place of employment via a virtual private network, and be used for no other purpose. However, just as people at work surf the net or check their personal email (during lunch breaks only, of course) - which is a security risk to the workplace - so it will be that a dedicated work computer used at home will inevitable be used for 'harmless' activities like checking personal email etc., with possibly some risk.
The idea of using vitual desktops to swap between a work-related activity and a personal activity does nothing to reduce risks because in the background there is no separation - the same system is used by the same user for different processes, but these are not isolated.
An improvement on this scenario would be to create separate accounts - one for Work, the other for Home. Each user profile can be customised.
The desktop configuration for each user may initially appear the same, because Windows does have a default profile - but over time you can develop very unique screen layouts with customised background, icons and taskbar. For example, if you only use Microsoft Project or PowerPoint for work there is no need to have those icons anywhere in your Home screen.
One of the difficult things to manage when working from home is how to switch one's brain out of work mode. For example, if you use your computer after work hours in what should be private time and a notification appears, to indicate new mail has been received, it is so tempting to look at it. And then you start thinking about it, and may even draft a reply, and before you know it you are back at 'work' again. Managing that intrusion is part of personal time management.
If email addresses used for Work and Personal use are different then an email client can be configured on each profile to send and receive email only for that account. Email received by the Work email client will not be displayed if you are logged in as the Home user. Even the notification should not appear on screen. However, when you switch user tomorrow the email will be there and any other work-related tasks will be available for a new day.
Multi-purpose Computer
My own computer was rather cluttered. It's not that I am untidy, it's just that I use it for different purposes. My main interests are technical: engineering, car restoration and maintenance; my websites: authoring content and site maintenance; audio: I edited podcasts for one organisation, and edited midi files and backing tracks for a choir; and my digital library, news reader and topics I research. Plus I use a range of software tools to maintain my own computer, backup data from several devices, and access remote services such as webservers. The My Documents folder has never been sufficent for my needs so for a long time I have used a second D: drive for data; but my library of ebooks, documents and files for so many topics was also cumbersome. I wanted to keep what I used but simplify it.
The solution was to create separate user accouts - all for myself - which were configured to suit specific purposes: Technical, Websites, Audio, Systems Administration, and Personal. I divided documents and other resources according to purpose and simplified my 'library'. Icons and toolbars are customised to suits the needs of each role. Desktop background help to identify the role or purpose of that login.
Email related to my websites is received by a client in the Website profile. It seems odd having separate logins for me, myself and I - but each role is specific and the advantage is that I can focus better. If my news reader updated I was distracted from drawing in Visio; if my personal email updated then a notification could interrupt the flow of thought when creating website content. That does not happen now.
For systems administration I removed all the normal task-related applications and shortcuts and replaced them with links to the Task Manager, Control Panel, the applications for antivirus and security, Administrative Tools, Event Viewer, MMC, backup and sync utilities, Windows Sandbox, and more. If I decide to do some maintenance or testing and switch to the systems admin user then all these tools are immediately obvious and accessible.
So my computer with its single wide screen is now sufficient for each focussed task I do. I am not mult-tasking, I simply focus on one out of several roles. My computer is a multi-purpose machine but it has a different interface for each purpose. With fast-user-switching enabled it is still a simple step to change from one role to another.
Take-away
There are many benefits from creating separate user accounts on a Windows-based computer. Whether it's just two users to separate Work-related use from Home or personal use; or a more elaborate schema to enable yourself to focus on specific tasks, the concept is useful.
Some of the benefits include:- increased focus and productivity; better time management and separation of private time from work time; and a separation of roles and purposes can lead to enhanced security and privacy, although the extent depends on how these are managed.
Whether you are one of an increasing number of people working from home, or simply have many different uses for your computer, try out multiple user profiles and take the time to prove the benefits.
