steelcase blog

The Match Game…

source Wikipedia

… for those of us old enough to remember, The Match Game was an American television game show legend, that ran from 1962 to 1999 in syndication.  The object of the game was to have the contestant’s answer match those of invited celebrities.  While there is no prize money involved, having your work space match your work requirements creates a winning experience as well.  It all starts with having the space match the number of people involved in a work activity.  It’s pretty crowded when 3 or more people try and meet inside a typical cubicle, even a large one by today’s standards.  And when working alone, sitting in a large conference room built for 12 can be a bit unnerving.

A 2nd critical factor which contributes to a good match and a positive experience, are the information affordances (ability to access/display information) provided,… generally speaking the more people you have, the more affordances required.  An individual knowledge worker, more often than not, can be fairly effective with just their personal technology devices (laptop, cell phone, maybe a USB drive) and some amount of surface area to spread out reference materials.  A group of 3 or more though additionally require group affordances,… because collaboration demands that individual perspectives/ideas are displayed for all to consider.

This above distinction is evident in the variety of ‘3rd Place’ alternatives available to mobile workers today.  Solutions can be divided into three categories.  There are those designed primarily as a social setting, such as coffee shops,… where a cup of java and a good conversation is all that is needed.  Then there are those labeled as co-working facilities, which welcome independent free-agents, providing them with comfortable seating and mobile tables to sit at.  And finally there are service companies which have designed high-performance groupwork experiences,… with rooms including  HDTV and projected displays, white boards, and support for teleconferencing/telepresence.  Individual or Group…?

Ability To Imagine…

… not having it, the ability to imagine, how awful would that be,… I can’t think of anything worse than not being able to think about the future.  And I’m not only speaking from my role in research (which is changing by the way, and I’ll share more about that later in this blog post),… but as a husband, father, citizen, or simply a one-of-a-kind individual.  The future may be as near-term as this afternoon or the next day, or as far away as next year or 10-20 years from now.  It’s just fun to ponder and plan for what’s possible, what’s coming, what’s next.  I’m not unique in this regard.  According to Daniel Gilbert, in his new book Stumbling on Happiness, it is our prefrontal cortex that allows all adults to project themselves into the future.  This allows us to dream of a better, happier, tomorrow.  In fact, it’s what this part of the cerebral machinery was designed to do,… we are the only animal, per Gilbert, that thinks about the future.  We not only like to imagine the future, but we also like to plan (control) that future,… or at least desire the feeling of control.  In other words, we like that we can direct today’s actions/activities to bring us, or those close to us, happiness in the future.

But the punch line of the book is that it ‘basically’ doesn’t matter.  Tell me it isn’t so…!  Happiness is more random than we might think says the author.  There are just too many factors that contribute to what the future really brings.  And even if the future you have imagined or planned for comes about, there is a high likelihood it doesn’t bring you the happiness you had predicted.  So I sat down and thought about this, and I’m fairly well sold on his conclusion.  Is where I am today what I had predicted when I graduated from college, or even as recent as 10 years ago,… not really.  Things happen, opportunities arise, situations present themselves, decisions are made, and actions taken.  While it doesn’t necessarily match up with my imaginings of years earlier, does that mean I’m not happy…?  No.  I believe one’s happiness is found in the present,… in their perspective on the big things, and their enjoyment in the little things.

But that doesn’t stop me from thinking about the future.  As I said at the start, it’s what my role in research demands.  The difference is that my job has me thinking about the future of work, not about my ‘personal’ future.  Over the last seven years of intensely studying users, it has become ever more clear to me that the value the user derives is in the ‘experience’ of work.  Furniture is important, technology is important,… but there is so much more.  There is location, there is process, there is an entire service level that can enhance the output of individuals and groups as they pursue a task.  This is especially true when faced with complex problems of a collaborative nature.  For this reason, I have taken on the new role of Chief Experience Officer for Steelcase Inc.,… focused on creating great experiences, wherever work happens.  This doesn’t mean an end to this research blog - WorkIt,… it will continue, under the direction of WorkSpace Futures at Steelcase.  But it could mean a new blog I’m looking (imagining) at starting on work ‘experience’ design - maybe WorkEXP.  Are you interested…?

Outdoor Drive-In Theatre…

… I don’t know about you, but I used to love going to the community drive-in theatre.  You didn’t have to worry about talking during the show,… you could laugh out loud without feeling embarrassed,… and depending on the car, you could recline the seats to a more comfortable viewing position.  The downsides were the windows fogging up on chilly nights, and the long walk to and long lines at the concession building.  Perfect for a date actually,… a cheap one at that.  But most are gone today, at least in my community.  They’ve been replaced by better speakers, comfy rocking chairs, a cup holder, and ticket prices that keep edging up (not a cheap date anymore).

Last week I visited the new-age drive-in theatre,… the Detroit Auto Show.  It had the basics; lots of cars, lots of speakers and lots of large screens.  While some of these screens could rival the scale of the outdoor drive-in theatre, there is a lot more ‘theatre’ at this show than one would think.  As with auto shows over the years, there are still lots of new cars perched on rotating platforms, with individuals holding mics extolling the features of the vehicle on display.  But beyond the cool car designs, I was struck by the number of non-US products (the entire lower level was all Chinese manufacturers); the number of alternative fuel engines (hydrogen, batteries, diesels) and the overall level of merchandising.

Focusing on the merchandising,… it wasn’t just the cars, but all the exhibits and displays with a variety of messages to attract show attendees.  Beyond the simple engine displays propped up on pedestals, there were larger exhibits that showed the entire ‘infrastructure’ of the car; how it all actually works.  Using brightly colored parts, they highlighted how the standard gasoline engine and drive train has been modified to provide electric or alternative fuel power.  It was extremely informative, and educational,… taking what is hidden for the most part, and making it visible to the consumer.

Directly behind or adjacent to these exhibits were large flat screen displays, telling another series of stories regarding the vehicles on display.  Their messaging tended to be informative for the most part, but included as well an emotional under tone,… using sounds and images to attract and excite.  These displays were always in groups of 3, 5 or as much as a dozen.  Some were side to side, others were stacked one on top of the other,… but all tended to be the same content for easy viewing by large crowds (similar to going into Best Buy’s TV section and having every TV on the same station).  And finally behind these screens were much, much larger screens; room-sized displays that one could see from across the large exhibit hall.  These were all about generating excitement,… including individual, emotive words vs. phrases and sentences.  Like bugs to a bug light, these large, fast-moving images grabbed one’s attention and drew one towards that part of the floor.

While each of the these three merchandising techniques described above were useful in and of themselves,… they achieved their full effect when combined with each other, in layers of content.  Some were informative, some emotive; some with photos, some with graphics; some with sound, some without.  And some of these displays were within reach at human scale,… while others were at a distance at architectural scale.  This was not done without a lot of thoughtful design, grounded in the art/science of information design. 

This is no different than what we have in an office setting,… where effective meetings, conferences and collaborations require layers of content.  Some close and within reach for detailed review and some at a room scale useful as reference.  It is a mix of analog and digital content; a mix of real time information and content previously generated; and a mix of people and content that is present in the space, and others brought in through videoconferencing.  Whether it is cars or work process that is on stage,… the information and information tools need to be designed, just as the architecture and the furniture need to be designed, with intent and with purpose.  Does design matter…?

Space as Strategy…

… OK, that may be a stretch, but it just might be the reason so many CEO’s are getting personally involved in the design of their office makeover.  You can’t deny that the look of your office weighs on the minds of your new recruits,…especially the best talent out there, the ones with lots of offers on the table.  And why is that…?  My feeling is that it is no different than how they evaluate other choices in their life; they are looking for that option which they feel will benefit them the most.  This certainly includes interesting work (‘the what’), which they feel can advance their learning,… the quality and diversity of those they will work with (‘the who’),…but in addition, they look for an office environment that reflects the way they want to work (‘the how’).  Any one of these three can be the reason they walk.

So what makes a work place catch the eye of that new recruit…?  First is snacks, how you feed the troops.  Don’t laugh; companies like Google and Bloomberg design their offices around food as a central feature.  They know that people gather around food, and when people gather they talk, and when they talk they exchange ideas, and when they exchange ideas innovation occurs.  Not everyone offers snacks/drinks for free, like Google,…but many see the value in the social hub (or hubbub) it creates.  The draw may be the fact that it satisfies one of our lower level deficiency needs noted by Maslow (psychological), but I believe it’s because it satisfies the highest level Maslow growth need (self-actualization).  Self-actualization involves creativity, spontaneity and problem solving,…and what better fuel for that than a group gathering at the watering hole for a bagel and a cup of joe.

A second element of a work place that may not seem obvious at first as important to new hires is to see evidence of your appreciation for art, or the arts for that matter.  The use of art not only communicates that a company values the whole individual (you’re not just a cog in some white collar assembly line), but a recognition that art can be a source of inspiration as well.  The more employees can be inspired at work, the less chance they will seek 3rd Place environments for inspiration.  This art can take many forms.  It can be that painting or collection of paintings from someone famous or better yet someone local to your area.  It can be a whimsical sculpture that says something about the business or industry you are in.  It can be in the use of vibrant colors or patterns,…created with paint, carpet or even lighting.  Anything that catches people’s eyes and trigger that spark of new thought.

The last element is maybe the most important.  It is the design of the work space itself.  Is it designed to decrease costs (efficiency), or to optimize value (effectiveness)…?  This is not all that tricky to spot.  Is the space jammed full of people in cookie-cutter like individual work stations, or is the space tailored to the particular needs of not only departments, but individuals and individual work styles.  Is it fixed or flexible space; are there a broad range/variety of settings including sufficient team/project rooms; are the individual and group spaces outfitted with the tech tools to do your job;  is the design one that encourages interaction or promotes isolation…?  Bottom line: does your employer care how you like to work …or are you expected to adapt how you work to how they have designed the space? Every company’s mission statement or values list identifies the strategic importance of their employees.  I say, then prove it.  For as much time as each one of us spends in an office, it should be a place you love to work.  Wouldn’t you agree…?

Point and Click...

... that used to be the voice of computing.  But now with Microsoft's announcement of their touch-activated table called Surface,... it's now 'touch and go' vs. 'point and click' (it's like finger-painting in digital paint).  They call it a natural interface, and they claim it will change the way we interact with computers in the future.  I think they're right, especially when it comes to group computing,... or what I have referred to in the past as 'WE' work.

'I' work, or individual computing, is built around a digital desktop that is configured around a person's computing tools/preferences/shortcuts/etc.  Maybe that's why they call it personal computing.  A mouse or digital pointing device works when the orientation is to the individual, and their specific way of working.  But when computing becomes shared between two or more people, the interface has to become shared as well.  And if shared, it needs to become a simple method that everyone could quickly learn.

In a shared experience, a gesture triggered by touch makes perfect sense.  Just as much sense as a larger display, that by its size allows multiple people to interact with it.  If they can interact concurrently, as opposed to taking turns, all the better for true collaboration.  There is no denying the trend, with more and more work demanding more and more collaboration.  In other words, the change in computing is a response to a change in user behavior.  And the change in computing is driving a change in the allocation and design of office space.

Smaller individual spaces, and larger group spaces,... it's happening in offices across the country and around the globe.  Teams have become the primary method for solving today's complex problems, and for creating tomorrow's innovative solutions.  In a team setting, some information tools work better with a table orientation,... and others work better in a wall orientation.

With a table, everyone needs to either be on the same side of the table, or the content has to be non-directional (as in an aerial map).  For this reason, 2 or 3 is about the limit of a table-based display.  With a larger group the wall is the way to go, as everyone can view the content in a similar way.  And in both cases, gestures are really an ideal interface.  Don't you agree...?