I had a Harmony remote before the I got the 976, when I used it with my 975. So I just switched it over to the 976 when I upgraded.
I wanted a remote to control all of my devices. I did use the 975 remote for a long time before I finally got the Harmony.
With my equipment rack in the lower right corner of my room, I've had the processor on the second shelf from the top, and needed to point the 975 remote down towards that corner. I found with that remote I could turn the remote in my hand so that the buttons would face left or right, depending on which hand I held the remote in. It was much more effective using it that way.
I found the same held true for the 976 remote. Turning it in my hand so that the buttons face right or left, was much more effective in controlling the functions. This helped to alleviate having to make sure I aimed downward towards the display window. Hardly a problem when doing that.