Meeting Rooms – Designing for Successful Sessions
During too many meetings, whatever people have gathered to do just doesn’t get accomplished. Science-informed design of meeting rooms can change that and make group gatherings more effective.
During too many meetings, whatever people have gathered to do just doesn’t get accomplished. Science-informed design of meeting rooms can change that and make group gatherings more effective.
Façades are more than just skins that surround a structure. Their design influences the thoughts and behaviors of viewers, sometimes without their knowledge. Cognitive science research can be used to make it more likely that the designs of façades send chosen messages and encourage desired behaviors, inside and out.
When people move, they burn off calories. Slimming our waistlines isn’t all that moving does for us, however. Research consistently shows, for example, that when we’re walking we think more clearly, creatively and productively (whether inside or outdoors), and get along better with others.
The images that people see as they work, heal, study, and, in general, live their lives, have a significant effect on how they think and behave.
It’s difficult to design a workplace where employees perform to their full potential over an extended period of time. Using Maslow to guide design decisions increases the likelihood that design-based objectives are achieved and employees have positive at-work experiences.
In much of the developed world, people seem to be struggling to get enough “good” sleep. Design can make it easier for us to drift gently off into healthy sleep—and to stay asleep—whether we’re at home, visiting a hotel, in a hospital bed, or trying to take a nap break at work.
‘Tis the time of the tiny homes. What does cognitive science have to say about the experience of living in them?
Visual complexity is an important driver of experience. Both too much and too little are bad for our mood and cognitive performance. Neuroscience research reveals how to manage visual complexity, disorder, and clutter.
“Engagement” is a hot topic—it’s being discussed by everyone from human resource managers to community organizers; boosting it is the goal of almost every group, regardless of size. And the research is clear: design can buoy users’ engagement with organizations, or not.
Want people to obey the rules, do the right thing, keep out of mischief and just generally, behave in socially acceptable ways? Environmental neuroscientists have done a lot of research on how design can encourage space and object users to be on their best behavior—insights from their studies can be applied in practice.