Brief Editing

To design a feature/features of the home workspace.

– Mind the differences between the specifics of the traditional office environment and its counterpart at home.

– Consider that many people working from home are self employed with disabilities. Try to move any complex activity to the suitable height.

– Think about the design of this object as designing the station enhanced in a way that helps you to reduce the amount of wiring at your desktop. Move the wiring on the side objects so eventually the desk becomes wireless (wireless mouse and keyboard). Than you could use practically any desk by this workstation.

– Consider removing any bonds joining table with the technology of the working environment to make it independent.

– Te tendency to design a desk to make it clutter free is chasing an utopia. What people do mostly by their desk is making it cluttered. Controlling the use of the desk is also hard to achieve. Explore the possibility of suggesting the function of the certain parts according to your observations.

– Home workstation cannot be devoid of its representative features. It has to be balanced form, trustful, elegant and solid looking structure.

Research conclusions

Specificity of home environment . Quite a few things are coming into my mind when thinking about the specific of working at home. Working at home involves being mixed with ones home life, does not provide an option of being excluded like in case of being at work somewhere else, as such it would be good to have the space dedicated for work out of the rest of the home, room, flat. It gives one a possibility of escape from work when at home. Some of people do not have this comfort of having separate workshop, office, private room no matter how we name it. The possibility of successful concentration in the place when other people are leading their normal life is decreased in this case. It is possible, and people do it often when working, to put earphones or noise protectors on to be isolated from external noise. For some of those though it is not a problem when the level of the noise or its character allow to get used to it.

Business Visits. Before people started to travel to work they of course did their job nearby the place they lived, in surrounding buildings, or in special rooms, or chambers how they used to call it. They were dealing in their business spaces, stores, warehouses, offices located in their homes or by it side. Characteristic feature o nearly every profession is the fact of having business visitors. Not every place is suitable to undertake a guest ad even less is suitable to any kind of cooperation with this kind of guest. In most cases it a lo of visitors must deal with keeping their laptops n their knees, low coffee tables, squeeze in by the side of a host co-operator and lurking over the shoulder standing trying to see what the other one is trying to demonstrate. None of workstations I have seen is sitable to a kind of work involving both the host and customer in he way being convincing for both of them, equaly comfortable and giving the feel of being proessionally hosted.

Focusing on work depends on the distracting factors and their intensity. Some people find themselves distracted by the fact that someone is passing in their view range, some are not even distracted by the smell of food prepared by someone else. Some people are closing eyes to concentrate and some shorten their sight focus automatically to not to see sharply when thinking. Most of the people focus their attention when looking at the candle flame – it is very relaxing. Very focus-friendly I find layers putting themselves on, that the one sticks out behind the previous one symmetrically from both sides, like the curtains and layers of decorations in the theatre.

It draws us into the space visually and, in my opinion, is better to wok with than flat solid wall in front of the desk.

Other focusing techniques is having an opening in a solid surface one can observe what is behind and focus sight on the one far object. The other technique useful in front of the wall is having a mirror placed in a way that one can observe what is behind to allow having a far focus when working in front of the computer.

Quiet distractions. Other elements like fast moving objects and fast music, speeds one up when working and regular rhythm allows to work more rhythmically and smoothly over certain tasks.

If something is running to fast – an action plan, people sending next tasks shortly after the other or if we are somehow forced to glance at the running stopwatch in our sight range – we are becoming heavily stressed. We are very receptive creatures.

http://www.maciekwojcicki.com/

Workspace & motivation – questionaire summary

My own workspace (fragment)

To check what people think and to verify my notion of the influence of the workspace on user I have prepared a questionnaire and gathered feedback opinions.

1 Do you think that the work space can make you reluctant to work? (yes/no)

yes / yes / yes / no / I love my work – therefore I can’t hate my workspace / yes definitely / yes / yes / no / yes / yes / yes – if you mean in general / no- if you mean the my studio in particular

2 What is that makes you reluctant to start or carry on with the work in certain space?

(e.g. not enough space, lighting conditions, mess, lack of sth, excess of sth, colour, space arrangement, certain materials used, structural features …etc.)

crowded desk / too little space / not having tools at hand / distracting or solitary workspace / limited space /mess / too cold / too dark / not enough space / anything which makes me uncomfortable – like TV near me / thinking abut outdoor activities / friends around / skype / lack of natural light- big thing / when dark outside feel like go to bed or stay in bed / distractions / noises / too bright fluorescent light / lighting conditions / space arrangement / lack of materials / usually mess / lack of free space / feeling of temporariness of the workspace (come, work, go) / low-level lighting and loud music are things I would not choose to have in my work space but these things are easy to change so wouldn’t be unmotivating / damp spaces with mouldy damp walls would make me reluctant to work in the space but I would if I had to.

3 Are there any especially disturbing situations with objects in your working space? What are they?

too many papers / models / struggling with having not enough leg space / tv / keeping vase of flowers on my desk – flooded laptop / no such situations / no such situations / scrap materials things useful one day and than cluttering the space / most disturbing thing is the amount of spiders that I find in timber – I find this difficult to cope with.

4 What are the kinds of objects other than tools in your work area? (Mascots, emotional objects, photos, favourites miscellaneous…)

coffee cups etc / bits and pieces from friends / photos / presents / rapid form models / projects / not used /  music / flowers, presents / photographs / light music on radio / books / magazines /collection of different lights / postcards / photos / old models / window / ideas and objects / famous furniture / design works / m mug / parts of other projects / mementos / the odd bit of fruit or a drink / a few books but only relating to my work

Are they making any change to your motivation in work? Would it be the same if they were not there when you work?

enjoying to be surrounded by mementos / they brighten up the office / it is nice to make yourself like home / no they just make me feel like home / window is important / it is an inspiration so yes / finish the work is most important / they are important / yes they make change / it is nice to see where you have been with other projects

Is their presence positive to your work or you are just keeping it even though they are being awkward?

positive – though some of it nuisance /the presence is positive / positive / enriching my life / positive / very positive / positive /positive,

5 Is there something in your work space that is the extra motivating factor? What is it?

(clock, timer, calendar, “get yourself to work !” labels, a chair -hard to get out of, etc…)

no / be calm magnet on the fridge / messages on the wall / nothing / I am self motivating / things that I think have been designed well  – would like my projects joined them / work I want to improve / nothing / well working machines and tools / things around me / It changes – usually a picture for inspiration / no

6 What you have seen in others people workspaces which can be a motivating factor for them. Would you put something like that in your space?

model images / pictures of things I like / speakers drawers under desk / power socket / nice flowers! / nothing / library – plenty of books / cant think of anything like that / post it notes / white board / yes if I can afford / motivation is inspiration ant this means objects, plastic fried egg- I do not feel like I need one / ‘to do’ lists – I do these that I don’t forget to do anything though not to motivate.

7 What motivates you the most to start work in your space?

clean desk / structured piles / I tend not to work in my space but surf the net / clean clear desk / free space / new spaces like hotel rooms are very exciting / unfinished work trying to enjoy my activities / coffee / people around me /clean desk / pen, sketchbook and coffee / I don’t have any physical things that make me start working

What motivates you to start work at all, if there is nothing motivating in your workspace?

the project itself / power of will / enjoyment / panic / deadlines / seeing others working hard / unfinished problems / pressure /internet. / I’m very motivated to work as I see that I have a little time to make the most of the facilities here and I need to leave completely ready to work on my own. So I work!

Influences

Conclusions of all those previous themes deliberations appeared to be very useful and influential for the Home Workspace project for the final show.

– Hospitlity of objects – I have focused on finding hospitality in everyday object. The goal is to inform objects with intuitive hospitality to create more welcoming environments. What are the unexplored elements of objects which make them hospitable in the way human beings are and is it possible?

Giles Miller (Farm) and Roberto Feo (El Ultimo Grito) on my staircase tamers Andaz Hotel exhibition, London 2008.

– Nucleus.Camera – living space. My idea behind this theme was to use modular elements of the furniture designed to divide the space of the single chamber in to the round shaped structure inside of which the space becomes the main living arena while space behind it takes over several functions like dining room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom. The mobility of the modular elements makes the space more unexpected and intriguing. Opening or closing of the space depending on the occasion, showing more or less of our private sphere. Idea evolved out of the Hospitality of objects project.

– Crisis of will, an attempt to look at the phenomenon of WILL and its different factors: motivation, engagement, passiveness, inertia, avoidance, persuasion to name the most significant ones.
How to find them and inscribe in objects and how crisis of will can be approached and overcame, stimulated, triggered with new pieces of material culture.

Design review:

http://www.architonic.com/mus/sea/desk/1

Disability and selfemployment. Paper showing how significant number of self employed people are disabled.

http://wpeg.group.shef.ac.uk/refereeing2006/papers20006/latreille2.pdf

Vitra

http://www.vitra.com/en-gb/

Ronan and Erwan

http://www.bouroullec.com/

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This blog is a product design dedicated platform for developing one of my projects realized for the final “Great Show” ending my MA education in Royal College of Art. Please wait for more and express any comments.

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