Space for inspiration in a flexible working environment:

Abstract

In a business world where innovation is the main competitive advantage for a company, facilitating and improving the creativity of employees is of paramount importance. This graduation thesis, executed at Logica, comprises the report of a product design which can contribute to a more inspiring working environment. For this project the interaction centred design methodology Vision in Product design (ViP) was used. To gain insight into inspiration, creativity at work and the influence of office design, a literature study has been conducted. The most important findings are that inspiration is needed for continuing creativity, being inspired is a competence which one can develop and that it is a highly personal construct which requires deliberation and planning. The current trend in office environments is that of “smart working” which makes use of flexible work environments, which are aimed at collaboration and making optimal use of floor space. Employees do not have owned work stations anymore, which means there is little to no opportunity to personalize the working environment to fit the needs and wants of the individual. By means of a focus group the target user was involved in the design process. It was confirmed that employees felt limited due to the impersonal nature of the flexible working environment. Employees expressed they first need to feel comfortable and at home before they can be inspired. As the standardized office environment is experienced as highly impersonal, the need for personalization was identified. Furthermore, it was found that employees in a technical working environment are often unaware that the work they are doing requires a lot of creativity and as an effect; they do not spend time and effort to inspire themselves. The starting point for the development of a product proposal is the design vision. Using the information from the analysis, factors are formulated. Evaluating these factors results in the distinction of the following clusters: inspiration state, inspired by, managing inspiration, territoriality, office nomads and paradox of work, which make up the context vision. The goal for the project is formulated in the following design vision: “I want knowledge workers to learn that they can inspire themselves, by allowing them to shape their own working environment.” Inspired by the metaphor of Guerrilla Gardening the following qualities have been drawn up to describe the new interaction between the user and the office environment: deliberated response, customized effort, inspiring transformation and exploring freedom. The concept development has led to a personal virtual extension of the flexible work station for use in the Logica office environment. The selected concept proposal uses a DLP projector linked to an online profile to display personalized visualisations on privacy screens. It allows the user to quickly personalize the flexible work station with his or her sources of inspiration. Furthermore it promotes an engaged attitude towards the office environment and inspiration as a personal construct. For the proof of concept a user test with a mock-up is performed. Six Logica employees participated and performed their daily work activities at a personalized work station. They were asked to quantify their feeling of inspiration. In the end, all six participants felt more inspired while working on the modified work station. Concluding, the product is evaluated based on knowledge from the analysis phase and the design vision. Overall it can be said that the application of personalized projections in the office environment offers high potential. It gives the user an opportunity to virtually create an inspiring work environment in a setting where the possibilities for physical modifications are limited.