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Applying UX Principles to Modern Office Design

Featured image by Veerasak Piyawatanakul on Pexels

Employee happiness is one of the key elements behind the ultimate success of a business. But how can you make employees happy? For one thing, consider applying UX principles to improve your office design. The wise use of UX principles can enhance employees’ satisfaction and happiness at work.

What Are UX Principles?

UX is short for “user experience.” According to the Interaction Design Foundation, UX principles involve design elements that are easy to use and pleasurable. Designers in multiple fields rely on these principles. This is true whether they’re designing a website, a building, or a space within a building.

The ultimate aim of UX design is to appeal to users’ senses, whether offline—as in an office—or virtual, as with a website. So, for instance, a designer who is using UX principles in office design might incorporate functional and ergonomic furniture. Additionally, the designer could include spaciousness, pleasant lighting, colorful artwork, live plants, and perhaps even soft background music.

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What Do UX Principles Have to Do with Office Design?

Digital or offline, the user’s experience is one of the main drivers of business development. It ranks high on the list of priorities for any company that wants to succeed in any market.

But what do UX principles have to do with office design?

Office design might be a complex process, but it’s not a complicated one. In order to align with UX principles, your office design should take into account:

  • The WHO: Who is it for? Who are the beneficiaries?
  • The WHAT: What is it organizing? Is it spaces, people, resources?
  • The WHEN: When will a certain space, furnishing, or piece of equipment, be used?
  • The WHERE: Where should a designated space, furnishing, or piece of equipment, be located for maximum efficiency?
  • The WHY: Why should office design be made with UX principles in mind?

Incorporate UX Principles That Meet Users’ Needs

If your office design process is in its incipient stage, prepare for some back-and-forth between and among you and your team.

For example, on more than on one occasion, designers who were trying to work according to UX principles have found themselves in the wrong. Chiefly, this was because they assumed what users wanted without ever asking. Then, when users complained, back to the drawing board they had to go.

Assuming what users want without asking them represents a major offense when it comes to applying UX principles to office design.

Design for Your Staff, Not for Yourself

There are several things you can do to meet your employees’ needs when preparing office spaces for them. First of all, remember to be flexible. Secondly, design for the users, not for yourself.

Finally, avoid making arbitrary decisions. Instead, start by asking employees their opinions. Then do some A/B testing, all the while keeping UX principles in mind.

For example, let’s say you’re working with furniture arrangement. Perhaps you place a certain sofa near the coffee bar. It seems like a perfectly good idea. It’s convenient, and it looks good, too. However, it turns out to be in everyone’s way. So you try moving it elsewhere, because hopefully, it’s not nailed down.

Continue the process throughout your office space, taking into account all of users’ senses, including ergonomics and kinesthesia.

Allow the Office Space to Continue to Evolve

You might need to hire an interior designer to come up with a fully functional and beautiful office design. However, once that’s behind you, how can you continue to maintain ease and functionality in everyone’s day-to-day activities?

Fortunately, at least when it comes to booking rooms, you can turn to room booking software from YArooms. This room management system takes care of office functionality with ease. This is because it was built with UX principles in mind.

Turn to YArooms When It Comes to Bookings

When it comes to booking rooms, YArooms makes sure its users’ needs are covered. For example, you can access the platform from a browser interface, from Outlook, or even right at your doorstep.

Just go to the Meeting Room Door Panel. Its flexible settings enable users to create multiple scenarios. In short, users will find that the UX principles that YArooms incorporates saves them time and gives them almost limitless flexibility.