1. Interview
A structured conversation to begin developing insight and a shared understanding about the people you are working with.
Scott, Jen and Beth conduct an interview.
We begin by asking simple questions,
in an Interview. We ask questions like; what’s your name, job title, role, manager, what tools to you use… and many others.
The favorite
among many interviewee; would you
rather have a pet squirrel or drive the getaway car?
Be creative and have some fun, the
goal is to gather information quickly and accurately while also engaging the people you speak with. The goal
of the interview is begin developing a level of insight
Tips: Sometimes it helps to think of an interview as a structured conversation. This can help create more of a two-way dialogue rather than just question-answer. It’s also helpful to have at least two people ‘team interview’. One person can lead the interview and the other can help record answer and ask follow up questions.
2. Survey
A survey is a great tool to gather a broad range of information quickly and annonymously.
A survey in use with the Finance Office.
It can be helpful to gather a wider range of responses than is possible from interviews.
A survey can be
deployed rapidly and used to maintain a level of anonymity or confidentiality. Online surveys can be built quickly and deployed with ease. This can be a great opportunity to identify problem areas or places that need greater focus and questioning.
Tips: Some good resources for free online surveys include: www.questionform.com www.surveymonkey.com www.kwiksurvey.com www.freeonlinesurveys.com
3. User Profiles
Highlight hopes needs and goals of the people you are creating for, user profiles can help keep you on track and focused.
Kiki and Jess post information on the wall that will be used to create our user profiles.
One method for understanding interview and survey data is to create user profiles. Category profiles can be utilized to understand the preferences and habits of user types. Creating complete profiles with photographs, pseudonyms, work styles, preferences, habits and quotes can give a sense of life and vitality to a project.
Tips: Try to identify core concerns and hopes when creating a user profile. Useing profiles can shortcut arguments among the development team by identifying what is important to the people who work in the office.
4. Observation
Is the quest for insight which can be used to fuel your concepts and understanding of how people work.
Rose files some of her papers. Why is the top of a set of filing cabinets being used as a work surface?
We like to think of observation as listening with your eyes. It’s more than just watching people work. You are looking for insight. The little things the people do, the ideosyncrasies and habits often provide some of the richest data.
Be sure to pay
attention to what people don’t do, this sometimes speaks the loudest.
Definition: Ethnographic analysis is sometimes used synonymously with observation. Ethnography comes from anthropological methods and is often used in field work to create a accurate representation of the subject. Design is more focused on looking for key insights rather than creating a perfectly accurate account of the user.
5. Mapping
Is showing who is doing what and where these actions are taking place. And questioning why?
Tom works on a rough map that identifies travel paths and current workflow.
The goal of this tool is to capture an accurate representation of what is happening within the space. Simple flow maps traced on floor blueprints, time lapse photos and video are all effective methods for capturing what is happening in the space.
Tips: It is very helpful to have someone from outside your immediate work group perform the mapping. It is easy to overlook common patterns and behaviors if you are familiar with the space and people. These habits can contain some of the greatest insight.
6.Analysis
Is simply studying and identifying the relationship between different pieces of information. Simply begin by ‘connecting the dots’.
Donovan write key points from interviews and observation to begin analysis.
Following the early research and datagathering phase the interview, survey, profile and ethnographic information must be analyzed. One simple way to analyze all of the information is to cross reference the data to create a compilation of patterns of movement, similar interview responses, repetitive issues or concerns.
Tips: It’s incredibly helpful to have large white boards or large format post-it-notes to write all your key topics and headings on the wall so everyone can literally work off the ‘same page’.
7. Common Threads
Are key connection points between pieces of information. This can highlight areas for more research or an area of focus.
Fraser writes common elements that will be posted on the wall.
The sheer volume of data you will have at this point can be a little
overwhelming. Looking for common threads by posting all your relevant information on the wall and then looking
for
commonalities
connection points.
and
Tips: Sometimes it can be fun to actually use a piece of string to physically connect the information with push-pins to create a web of threads.
8. Brainstorm
Is using your creativity to begin developing ideas to solve the problems you identified during the previous work.
Bethany adds a nerf football to the mix that include donut induced sugar highs imagination at it’s best!
Now that the key categories have been identified, it is time to begin brainstorming ways to tackle the problems. Among the many different techniques, I have found two to be the most valuable: setting set a defined time period for the brainstorm and write everything up on a white board or large pieces of posted paper. Engage your imagination – this is a great time to really have fun and see what exciting new ideas you can invent.
Tips: It’s important to delay criticism of concepts. Rather than criticise an idea, play off it and use it as fodder to create a new concept and branch out in a new direction. We have found 30 minutes to be a great beginning timeframe for a brainstorming session.
9. Filter Concepts
Lets you digest the ideas from your brainstorming session and begin to filter down to viable and feasable concepts.
After taking a break from your brainstorming session, begin filtering brainstorm ideas. One way to filter concepts is to vote by sticky note or use a ‘gravity’ filter. The ‘sticky vote’ is organized by giving each member of the team a different color sticky note, each person places their sticky note next to the concepts they vote for. The ideas with the most sticky notes get ranked the highest.
Tips: Have people initial the note if you have more people in your group than sticky note colors. Regardless of position or job title within the company, each vote carries the same weight and value.
10. Scenarios
Let you test concepts in a storylike format, they help you understand how an idea might work in reality.
Scott, Jen and Beth conduct an interview.
Once you have a list of ranked concepts, scenarios.
begin Scenarios
developing can
be
thought of as stories that put concepts into action. Using your concepts in scenarios will help create a greater depth of understanding of how the idea will work when deployed.
Tips: scenarios can be written as stories. They can be acted out in ‘performance research’. Paper cut outs or little games can be used to tell the alternate reality of a scenario or you can barrow a lego set.
11. Modeling
Allows you to make ideas physical. They give us the opportunity to play with ideas and understand how they will work in a risk free environment.
Rachael plays with a paper model of an office layout. Beauty in simplicity.
Once
scenarios
are
underway,
modeling the spatial aspects of a space can be invaluable. Of course nice models are wonderful, but don’t underestimate what can be learned from creating a paper model with glue, markers and scissors. Want 3D, try legos, cardboard or foam core. This is not only a great opportunity to learn more about your space, but also an opportunity for the team to work together, creatively and constructively.
Tip: Don’t be surprised if ideas ‘jump out at you’ when you begin modeling the space. Creating a model you can physically work with often seems to have just that effect.
12. Present
This is simply the concept of using your research as a mirror which you hold up for people to see how they actually work.
Josh leads a model walkthrough of a model during a presentation.
Now that a level of understanding has been developed it is a great time to present your findings and suggestions to the rest of your workgroup.
This is a opportunity
to validate your findings and early concepts. Not only is this step an exciting chance to show your work, but it is also for gathering further insight and showing the value of the work.
Tips: Formal powerpoint presentations work fine, but you can also post all of your work on the walls and have a ‘mingle event’ where people check our the concepts and have informal conversations.
User Guide The Self-Created Office
User Guide Direction for the Self-Created Office Based on everything we’ve learned, we see the need for a scalable workplace
redevelopment guide being unmet. Can we leverage simple tools, methods and personal insight to facilitate the further development of the self-created office? Can we support the natural inclination for self-created workspaces?
Using several previous project and process guides as case studies, we believe we can produce an early version of a Self-Created Office guide. In theory, this guide
will help facilitate the redevelopment of existing workspaces. Or guide research for new workspaces. A key differentiator for this guide is be the inclusion of tools and
elements from co-design and human centered design methodologies. We believe it is necessary to engage the primary stakeholders, the workers, in redeveloping
Tips: Formal powerpoint presentations work fine, but you can also post all of your work on the walls and have a ‘mingle event’ where people check our the concepts and have informal conversations.
their own office. Through this direct engagement and process facilitation, they can bring their deep level of insight and cultural knowledge to bear on the project.
Tips:
We strongly believe that it is necessary to move beyond simply designating a
Analysis is simply studying and identifying
the design process with the workers themselves as a great opportunity to further
information. Simply begin by ‘connecting
certain number of square footage per employee workstation. We see sharing
optimize workspaces, and to continue learning about how people move through the
the relationship between differnt pieces of the dots’.
range of work modes.
This of course, is not the final version. This is somewhere between iteration 1.5
and 2.0. It might be best thought of as a functional draft. Each tool and method has been deployed and improved upon at least twice within the context of office
redevelopment. Substantial improvement and innovation is still necessary to make this guide more valuable. However, by packaging the resources, research and
Tips: It’s very important to delay criticism of concepts. Rather than criticise an idea, play off it and use it as fodder to create a new concept and branch out in a new
concepts together, we hope to present a more comprehensive value proposition.
direction.
At it’s most basic level there are three steps to developing your own self-created workspace. Those three steps are discovery – understanding – action. Of course this is an over simplification of how a new space can be created, but is a valid
We have found 30 minutes to be a great
framework for beginning.
beginning timeframe for a brainstorming session.
Tips: Have people initial the note if you have more people in your group than sticky note colors. Regardless of position or job title within the company, each vote carries the same weight and value.
Discover
In some ways this step is already underway when the idea of office redevelopment comes about. Most people acknowledge that their workspace is not ideal and
could use some improvements. One key element of the discover phase is taking
the time to step back and gain a fresh perspective, especially if you have been in a space for an extended period of time.
It can be helpful to look at the space as if using a telephoto lens to zoom in and
out. One needs to be able to create clear pictures of both micro and macro scales
to grasp small details, but also be able to understand how the details interact in the ‘big picture’. Tips: scenarios can be written as stories. They can be acted out in ‘performance research’. Paper cut outs or little games can be used to tell the alternate reality of a scenario.
Understand
How do you digest everything you learned during the discover phase and what it
means? This process will help to create a clearer picture of all the pieces collected during the discovery process. It provides the opportunity to digest the gathered information and further develop insight for effective redevelopment.
In some ways this stage can be thought of as the point where everything
converges. It helps to create a bridge between learning and acting where many concepts and possibilities are in play.
Act
Now that you’ve created an in-depth understanding, what can you do with it? At this point we can examine the feasibility and viability of the concepts that were developed during the understanding phase. This stage is also what sets this
process apart from a work place report or survey. The point is that active steps are taken within the constraints uncovered during earlier points of the project.
Here is where you make things real. Whether it’s creating a new office process
or protocol or re-creating the space where you work. All the digested analysis is transformed from strategy to a new reality.
Why a guide? What is the goal of this work? The goal of this process and guide is to provide office workers with the tools and resources to make meaningful changes to the work environment. This method supports the bottom up, organic nature of work habits. Our field research validates our hypothesis that individuals and groups of workers can self-create high performance workspaces. This guide can help create the support they need to: focus, collaborate, learn and socialize. It almost seems overly simple to say ‘each person knows what is best for themselves’. While we are not suggesting that professional office development and design is passĂŠ, we are suggesting that we need to move beyond the top-down structure of development. The employees, the users of the space must be engaged in the entire process from concept through completion. Once you have completed the redevelopment of you office remember to celebrate! Invite people from throughout your organization who can come and appreciate your work and collaboration.
What tools will you need?
Don’t worry about having a fancy collection of tools and resources. This guide is design to be used with simple available tools and on a very low to non-existent
budget. Once the work is underway, people become interested in the work and often discover some financial resources to support the project and workplace redevelopment. • camera
• post-it notes
• large format post-it’s or pads of paper • medium / large white board • online or paper survey
• interview questions / guide • personal note pads
• model making materials (raid your children’s lego collection) • dry erase or regular markers
• space blueprint (ask facilities) or a tape measure • guide instructions • an open mind
• some level of tacit management approval Disclaimer:
Remeber, this is version 1.5 or earlier. This guide is far from complete. You are
strongly encouraged to innovate and add to the methods listed above. This is only designed to give you a place to start and show intrinsic value in redeveloping a space. The rest is up to you. Best of luck and don’t forget to have some fun!