Ceilings – What’s Up Affects Thinking and Doing
Ceilings significantly affect the psychological experience of being in a place, although space users do not often focus on these horizontal planes. This article reviews neuroscience research on ceilings and how these surfaces can be used to achieve design objectives.
Insights from Urban Research for Designing Everywhere
Cognitive science research in urban and other settings regularly shows that people are people no matter where they are and that they respond in consistent ways to the worlds around themselves. This article highlights findings from urban design studies that illustrate fundamental design principles that improve people’s lives, anyplace.
WOW Design – Inspiring Awe Can Be a Very Good Idea
Designed and natural spaces can inspire awe in humans. How do they produce this effect and why does it matter? Applying insights gained from social science research to answer these questions enhances design practice.
In Practice - Distance from the Equator
How we sense and make sense of the environment around us—and how our brains work with information, in general—can vary based on where we are on Earth. We discuss Equator-relative, design-related variations in thoughts and behaviors in this article.
Workplace Density: Numbers!
Findings that prevent crowding
Creating Worship Spaces
Build in exploration
Biophilic Design: Cognitive Implications
Quantifying the effects of applying basic principles
Mental Work and Wooden Walls
What's on the walls matters
Plant Boundaries: How Many Plants?
The right answer depends on location
Designing Prisons
Research to inform design that supports rehabilitation
Tested Research Tools Available
Practical. Relevant. Free.
Seasonal Variations in Desired Experiences
Varying user experiences can be appropriate
Before You Know It: The Unconscious Reasons We Do What We Do
Makes unconscious forces conscious considerations
Statistics with R: A Beginner’s Guide
A crucial guide to an important tool