Choice
Shared and flexible work settings optimise available space by replacing under-utilised areas with versatile options that give people choice and autonomy.
1. Design for the Margins
2. User Insight
To provide genuine choice, settings must meet pragmatic needs of users, rather than superficial differences.
If an ‘innovation room’ offers no distinct advantages over a flexible meeting room, its inclusion does not truly add variety. Just because it’s called an innovation room, doesn’t make it so.
Avoid variety for variety’s sake.
Provide the right equipment to make the experience seamless.
Provide certainty amidst flexibility.
Spaces and settings should deliver a range of tangible benefits that genuinely meet user needs.
Ensure that the variety provided serves a purpose rather than being superficial or aesthetic. For instance, if a "collaboration desk" doesn’t offer any practical advantage over a standard workstation, it won’t be perceived or used differently despite its intended purpose.
Designated team zones or a workspace booking system can provide predictability in a shared work environment.
Knowing where they’ll sit upon arrival and the ability to locate colleagues easily, gives employees peace of mind and control in non-territorial work environments.