Skip to main content

Week 1 - Collaboration and Creativity

In our first week back at Judson, we ID students were introduced to our fall semester project – the NEXT student design competition from 2013. NEXT is a think tank organization, which is defined as an “institute, corporation, or group organized to study a particular subject and provide information, ideas, and advice” according to Webster’s Dictionary. This group that collaborates at NEXT already has a background in design-thinking, architecture, industrial design, et cetera, and they desire to sharpen their knowledge about topics such as product design and innovation. NEXT has a strong emphasis on creativity and innovation, and their statement reads “our mission is to afford entrepreneurs access to resources, expertise and an environment that fosters creativity and allows them to fail early and often; [a]s a result, we deliver groundbreaking innovative solutions that represent the next best products and services in the market.” Because of this mission statement, it is evident that the ability to collaborate and be creative is necessary in the NEXT environment.

Would you rather work here...

I find this tie between collaboration and creativity very interesting, so I found an article that Steelcase published titled “State of Work: Blur the Edges”. There is a sudden surge of employees who desire to work at home because of our portable communication devices, such as laptops or smartphones, leading employees to spend around 70 percent of their time away from the workplace. While this is an excellent opportunity for young parents or those who live too far away to commute, it can hinder collaboration within the office, stopping the growth of creativity. According to the Wall Street Journal, many different organizations made the choice to ask their mobile workers to return to the office because of the connection between teamwork and innovation. While certain employees have good reason to work at home, there are many employees who chose to work outside of the office simply because they do not feel motivated or inspired within the office.

Or here?

It is important for us as designers to realize different factors that have an effect on employee creativity. One factor we can consider is the culture of the employees as well as the culture established within the office space. Some of these aspects include biophilia, which is the inclusion of nature and natural elements within the office; personalization, which allows each employee to express their culture and values through design; as well as purpose, which inspires each employee to work with meaning. Adding to the concept of purpose, it is necessary for each employee to feel engaged in the workplace because it leads to higher employee satisfaction and a better opportunity for innovation and creativity. This concept of “creativity” is overall accepted as a critical job skill, yet it is very difficult for employees to live up to their creative potential. Through intentional design, we can create office spaces that inspire collaboration and creativity.

Comments

  1. Professor VanderNoordaaAugust 24, 2017 at 7:56 AM

    Caitlin- This is exactly what I wanted from you as far as your first Blog entry!

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownAugust 24, 2017 at 8:28 AM

    Catie,
    I enjoyed reading your understanding of how NEXTs mission statement can be developed in your own design ambitions for this project. I also enjoyed reading the article you read, which was published by Steelcase. I also explored a similar topic in the relationship between a creative work space and growing creative potential of employees.
    Secondly, I found the correlation between creativity in the workplace and culture established within the office space very interesting. I wonder how you might bring this idea into the NEXT work space. Could you or would you want to include some aspects in relation to biophilia, which you describe above?

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownAugust 26, 2017 at 8:59 PM

    I also think it is interesting that creativity and collaboration have such a strong correlation. I don't really think about it much, but often I do feel more productive while I'm working on a project around others than while I work by myself. It's nice to have people to bounce ideas off of, even if you're still primarily working on your own. I think it's important for office styles to accommodate this phenomenon because overall that will benefit workplaces.

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownAugust 27, 2017 at 6:14 AM

    I love that you pointed out that even if you are a creative person, it's hard to create to your full potential if your environment is lacking. I think that's something that a lot of offices overlook in lieu of cutting costs. I thought the mobile workers study was interesting as well. It brings to attention how different people work best, but also that collaboration is so important in the creative process.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 4 - Progressive Patient Rooms

Brand identity is how businesses want to be perceived by consumers. This identity is brought together by different aspects, such as brand name, logo, tagline, or even font. Businesses try to shape their identity based on what the company stands for or the product or service that it delivers. One example of a successful business would be Starbucks because they wanted their identity to be “morning coffee” (or anytime coffee, really), and now whenever anyone thinks of Starbucks, they think of quick, good coffee. This concept is very important in our design of our NEXT clinics. We want to create a brand identity that conveys comfort and well-being, because that is the primary mission of this NEXT clinic. The way in which we focus the design, logo, and so on must clearly convey the desire of NEXT to provide a positive patient experience for everyone who chooses to use them as their primary clinic. Steelcase’s article “ Patient Rooms: A Positive Prognosis ” focuses on how patient ro...
3 comments
Read more

Week 3 - The Patient Experience

Steelcase puts a strong emphasis on the development of healthcare settings in order to improve the experience of patients everywhere. Steelcase has assembled data and suggestions to improve various aspects of healthcare centers, such as exam rooms, patient rooms, as well as transition spaces. In exam rooms, Steelcase suggests a monitor to provide easy access to information, seating for family members to support conversation, and whiteboards to capture questions or drawings. In patient rooms, Steelcase focuses on family involvement. Family members need a welcome environment that allows them to connect with staff, as well as a place to socialize, eat, and sleep. In transition spaces within outpatient clinics, Steelcase recommends having a self-service area where returning patients can check themselves in, an administrative location where patients can fill out forms or ask questions, and an inviting welcome desk to bring a sense of friendliness into the clinic. Family-Oriented Pati...
4 comments
Read more

Week 7 - The Importance of Concept Statements

In an article entitled “ How to Write an Interior Design Concept Statement ”, Linda Chechar discusses what a concept statement is, why it is important, and things to include and avoid while writing one. Linda Chechar is a writer with over twenty years of career experience in advertising, real estate, and retail décor, so her article will be helpful from a professional standpoint. Linda defines a concept statement as “the essence of an interior design proposal.” Since you are not always there to present your ideas, and since your design usually can not speak for itself, the concept statement is necessary to convey your ideas. Concept Board | Statement Linda addresses two main pointers necessary to create an effective concept statement – keeping the statement simple and addressing client requests. Simplicity is necessary because your client needs to know the intent of your design and how you accomplished it. Addressing client requests is also necessary because, since they have...
2 comments
Read more