On another forum, I asked much the same question, when designing a prompt desk (which did end up getting built, and worked quite well) for a proscenium arch venue. There were more opinions than you could poke a stick at, so many in fact that in the end, I took a step back and said "What essential functions do I need to perform at the prompt desk" and worked from there.
I needed to be able to contact various people/departments and make announcements
I needed to know the time, as well as run times
I needed to be able to see
I needed to be able to read my prompt book, yet be able to continually glance up and see the stage.
I needed to be able to cue cue-lights.
I needed access to the phone network, with the option to turn off the sound (and use a flasher)
I needed control of the house lights/workers etc
I needed to be able to view camera feeds
I needed other SM's who may use computer scripts to be able to use it
I needed to be able to lock up actors valuables
I needed to be able to move the desk, in the event of an SM wishing to call from another location.
So what we did, when designing it, was to take that list and try and find solutions to each.
In the end, we ended up using an L shaped design on casters.
The side facing the stage was basically a sloped surface with a small lip along the bottom for the prompt book, an a littlelite. Beside the ledge (on the left) was a smallish table surface, with an LCD touch screen monitor and some space for stationary/drinks etc. It was intended that the SM would face that way, with almost all other features on the protrusion which ran along the wall when placed in prompt corner (left hand side). Some of the other items which were placed in the return were 4 channel cans with gooseneck mic, camera switcher/pan-tilt control, another computer monitor, as well as a few items the LX and Sound guy made up (telephone ringer etc). We computerised a lot of it, including cue lights - although the cue lights also had a manual control, and by using Voice Over IP, we could control how the phone operated.