What is Workspace UX? And how 2gethr is pioneering it!
UX is a word that gets thrown around a lot today. From apps to websites to games, the word UX has become mainstream. But what is UX? UX or User Experience is how a user interacts with and experiences a product, system, or service. It includes all aspects of the interaction between the end-user with the company, its services, and its products.
One might wonder how user experience comes into work within the workspace!
Workspace UX is the prioritization of end-user experience and how it adds up to the productivity and motivation of the people using the workspace.
At 2gethr, here’s how we pioneered workspace UX:
For any project, user experience is key while designing the space. From the proportions of the desks, meeting rooms, and modules, to the proportion of the open spaces, collab areas, and focused zones, every proportion is aimed at creating the perfect harmony for the users.
What aided our designers and architects in this process is the discovery of a middle space that challenged traditional workspaces by prioritizing user experience. This intersection is the culmination of the three important spheres of a person’s life: home, work, and leisure. This intersection offers the ideal experience of making one comfortable and motivated enough to be productive. It turns an office into an all-in-one space where one has a higher chance of doing their best work.
At 2gethr, here are some tenets of user experience that we incorporate in the workspaces. These have been tried, tested, and trusted by companies like Jaguar Land Rover, Tekion, Samsung, AMD Pensando, Galvanize, PUMA, and many more:
- Locally-sourced plants inside the workspace help in re-establishing human connection with nature and promote better health by reducing stress and improving cognitive function as well as creativity.
- Ergonomic workspaces that improve employee comfort and lowers work-related injuries through lumbar support chairs. The provision of incorporating monitor arms, height-adjustable tables, etc. when required also helps in promoting workspace health & comfort.
- Toxin-free, nature-inspired design and materials as per the CDPH (California Department of Public Health) to minimize and restrict the emission of carcinogenic fumes and derive the sense of harmony that human beings feel normally while being surrounded by natural surroundings.
- Thermal support through improved HVAC system design and control to provide overall human satisfaction. This HVAC also comes with UV lamps installed inside the Air Handling Unit (AHU) to treat air inflow and provide clean air.
- Restorative opportunities like sleep pods, gaming zones, jacuzzi, and massage chairs are integrated into the design from the get-go and when implemented help in avoiding burnout and provide relief from daily stress.
- The workspaces are designed to be IoT-enabled workspaces that utilize sensors like CO₂ sensors, sensor taps, sensor-controlled HVAC systems, and lighting solutions for an optimal user experience.
- There are multiple small elements hidden around the space that break the monotony of the space, but still fade in the background until observed.
- Graphics and posters scattered across the space not only motivates the user but bring character to the space.
All these elements might seem like small details which need not be fret over, but zooming out and looking into the bigger picture, these small things add up and create a workspace user experience that adds to the productivity, motivation, and aspiration of the people working in the space.
Workspaces are no longer the cubicle farms of old and have evolved to incorporate user experience to stay ready for the future of work!
