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EH: Trends & Traditions’ theme, Engaging People, sparks important discussions around co-creation. How would you define the practice of co-creation within the context of interior design, and specifically the design of workplaces?
ZH: For me, it summarises the essence of collaboration when diverse people work together to develop a solution they could not create on their own. Each participant is an expert in their own field and therefore looks at the project through a slightly different lens, which results in a more robust ideation process. Designers bring technical know- how, clients are experts in their culture and business needs and workplace consultants lead the integrated process: they challenge the archetypes and data and look for solutions in the white spaces (the unknown, unmet user needs).
EH: Workplace culture has gone through some significant changes. Do you think we’re in a paradigm shift where things will never quite go back to how they were? ZH: We are at a tipping point, it would seem. We still need technology to catch up with the needs of this new way of working – for instance we need tools to support physical and digital connectivity. We almost find
ourselves in the situation where we’re trying to work in a new way with digital tools but in reality we are still stuck in ‘analogue’.
EH: Do you think that the pandemic has just accelerated a path that we were already on? ZH: Personally, I feel that it has accelerated things by five to seven years. Where organisations may well have taken a little longer to get to the same point, they don’t have that luxury now. So what we’re seeing is not a complete disruption in the way we used to work but I’d say an acceleration along a path on which we were already headed.
EH: How do you start a co-creation project, who is involved and what is important for success?
ZH: Te most important thing for the success of these workplace design projects is to get people engaged early, and that should involve representation from all levels of the organisation. Te process has to involve meaningful discussions about employee needs, and because employees are deeply involved in this process, they become advocates for it. As advocates, they ensure that what has been created is actually implemented into the organisation.
EH: How do you measure the success of a co-creation project?
ZH: Te measures are different for every project, but the important thing is that you set the key criteria at the start of the project. Tese may be tied to the company’s mission or the specific business targets they have set. Other metrics that might be employed could be around sustainability, well-being, et cetera.
EH: What changes and trends in workplace design do you envisage over the next few years?
Zoe: Tat’s the billion dollar question and I’m not sure anyone has the answer but I think there are a number of forces at play that will impact future designs. One of the biggest unknowns is how will organisations define the workplace in the future? Will they extend their duty of care beyond the office? What will constitute the spatial ecosystem that we will be designing for in the future? Designing the experience, rather than just focusing on the space, will be key to creating places where people choose to be, with tailored solutions to support diverse needs and users. In the future, designers will need to co-create the new workplace experience with the full spectrum of stakeholders (IT, HR, RE, facilities and employees, consultants) to ensure its success.
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