experience-driven blog

Feeding Happiness Through Experience Driven Design

Experience driven design is leading the charge toward a happier workplace. People are the one constant in the perpetual striving for technological change, demographic shifts and raising the bottom line. Designers today are tasked with re-thinking and re-inventing how people experience every aspect of their lives and the places and spaces in which they live, work and collaborate.

More than ever before, there is not only a responsibility, but an opportunity to create a better world through people-centric design. Design leaders are now placing more focus on how the places we create enhance the human experience that connects people, communities, organizations, colleagues and friends.

Achieving The Experience-Driven Life

The best life-experiences anticipate people’s needs, tap into their emotions and engage their senses. We are by nature a curious group of explorers, seeking all kinds of experiences to connect, collaborate and expand our knowledge through interaction. This mindset has become a benchmark for branding to the consumer. Now companies are recognizing this level of fulfillment for their employees through experience-based design, reward and recognition at work, sustainability solutions, and company invested philanthropic activities. Work-life balance has demanded that the workplace evolve into a more ergonomic, happy, interactive and connected experience.

An overwhelming body of evidence supports clear links between employee well-being and organizational success. A study from the University of Warwick found that “happy” employees are 12% more productive, often giving an extra day of work per week. Workplace design plays an integral role in shaping the user experience. Optimizing the experience takes into account how the work environment is utilized by a range of in-house staff, telecommuters, customers, visitors, and other stakeholders who might be on-site on any given day. Businesses that use design to creatively embody their mission attract, retain and motivate workers to innovate. An innovative workplace experience is the key for companies seeking to make their purpose relevant and emotionally engaging to employees.

Providing A Multi-Faceted Human Experience

Creating a happy workplace requires a mindset beyond just “a place where work happens.” It encourages a living environment where people thrive, create and collaborate on both professional and personal levels. A well designed space has the capacity to create sustainable, resilient and healthy communication through livability. We’re seeing office design trend toward home-comforts, with conversation areas that feel more relaxed than the corporate archetypes of the past. In a collaboration driven workforce, the impetus behind this encourages more open collaboration through a more relaxed casual setting.

Designing a rich human experience means looking at what inspires employees to feel their best so they can contribute their best. It drives how people feel about where they work. It’s difficult to inspire cutting edge thinking with worn out chairs and desks. And while it may also include simple additions like casual breakout spaces, promoting happiness can and should go a lot deeper in terms of advancing priorities of engagement, empowerment, and fulfillment:

  • Engagement occurs when the work environment allows employees to prioritize their personal and professional sense of purpose — which in turn can make them feel like they are part of something bigger.
  • Empowerment can be inspired by a workspace that offers employees a sense of control in their work environment — given options between spaces to collaborate, concentrate, or simply take a break.
  • Fulfillment can be nurtured by ensuring a place of well-being where people feel comfortable, healthy, and appreciated at work. Having access to places where they can innovate, learn, and gain recognition from their peers and managers enhances that sense of fulfillment.

Together, these key priorities can help generate commitment to the organization, a stronger performance and overall effectiveness, a sense of control over their working environment and a sense of comfort within the workplace.

Design Toward Happiness

What design elements directly support the human experience? Depending on your workstyle, this could be as diverse as your staff. So take some time to gather input from them and then proceed with these options in mind:

  • Well thought out space locations go a long way. Be aware of the changing nature of the diverse workforce, and specifically, what your employees prefer in terms of workspace needs and options. For example, some may entirely embrace a hot-desk environment, but not everyone will be prepared to give up a space of their own. You may find up that up to 39% are ready to swap their allocated workstation for a shared one. Millennials might crave more communal spaces, while older generations might require more secluded spaces. Giving employees control over their day-to-day work setting gives them a sense of pride, freedom, and inspires their best work.
  • Low workplace density is not always a bad thingResearch has uncovered a clear relationship between workspace density and employee effectiveness. Open plan workspaces with fewer than 50 people per shared zone were found to allow employees to work more effectively. Above that, effectiveness begins to drop. The survey respondents report spending a whopping two-thirds of their workday at the same desk, and work remotely just a few days a month.
  • Cross collaboration is invaluable. When corporate real estate, HR, and IT leaders come together to gather data, share insights, and brainstorm new methods, they can form a powerhouse in supporting the human experience. Together they can create a blend of collaborative spaces and support services that drives employee effectiveness forward, from designing spaces that intentionally inspire co-creation, to ensuring a fully functioning digital and virtual workplace.
  • Tap into all five senses. It can be tempting to design for visual aesthetics alone. But to intelligently design a human experience, it’s important to look beyond what meets the eye. Sound, smell, touch, and even taste can all contribute to a unique and positive experience. Think about your favorite coffee shop or mid to high end hospitality design and the amenities found there. Some less tangible qualities to consider are the way people emotionally connect with a space. How does one feel about the workplace? Does it feel meaningful to them to be there?

Creating a meaningful workspace design that meets your company’s mission and goals is a collaborative effort. It takes not only vision but data and planning to achieve a space that will keep your team happy and productive. Design plays a valuable part in not only aesthetic but the practical application of those goals. The collaborative input of designers, space planners, HR and IT thought leaders can disseminate the information provided by your workforce and turn those abstract thoughts into a happy, experience driven work environment.


jason

MEET JASON McDANIEL:  Jason is a furniture consultant who brings over a decade of operations and sales experience to the team. His understanding of systems furniture and extensive background managing installations uniquely equip him to tackle even the most complicated projects. He can help you plan your experience driven work environment. Getting started planning your office design for maximum productivity with Jason at 888-910-3769 x124 or contact him via email, jason@officefurniturenow.com. For more inspiration visit us on FacebookPinterest, and Twitter!