For my final project in HCI 5900 (Design Ethnography), my group conducted a multi-site research study to explore how workspace environments, like offices and cafes, influence employee satisfaction and productivity.
Using methods like participant observation, contextual inquiry, and field notes, we uncovered how design elements such as lighting, noise, and layout impact day-to-day experiences.
Project Overview
Context
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies have reintroduced office mandates, believing in-person work boosts productivity, culture, and revenue. Yet, many employees resist, citing remote work’s benefits for work-life balance.
This tension highlights the importance of designing workspaces that support both organizational goals and employee well-being.
Goal & Research Question
Our research aimed to explore how workplace design, such as layout, aesthetics, noise, temperature, and lighting, affects employee mood, productivity, and satisfaction.
Our Key Research Questions were:
- How do different workplace layouts (open-plan, cubicles, and remote setups) affect employee satisfaction and productivity across varying job roles?
- What environmental factors (i.e., lighting, temperature, noise levels) influence employees’ moods, productivity, and overall job satisfaction in different workspaces?
My Role
I collaborated with three teammates throughout the project, contributing to both fieldwork and analysis:
- 👀 Conducted participant observations in the La La Land Kind Cafe
- 🎤 Facilitated contextual inquiries to gather customer's perspectives working at the cafe
- ✍️ Analyzed field notes and helped synthesize insights
- 🤝 Contributed to group reporting and final report
Literature Gap
Prior studies often focus on traditional office settings. We found that:
- Existing research covers factors like layout and lighting in office environments.
- Less is known about non-traditional spaces (cafés, home offices).
Our study expands this scope to highlight insights that could inform future workplace design.
🛠 Process & Methods
Approach
We used an ethnographic approach to understand how workspace environments affect employee satisfaction and productivity. Our study combined:
- 👀 Participant Observation – capturing behaviors, interactions, and environmental factors.
- 🎤 Contextual Inquiry Interviews – gathering first-hand accounts from employees and customers.
- ✍️ Detailed Field Notes – documenting layout, lighting, color, noise, and temperature in each setting.
Field Sites
We conducted fieldwork across four distinct U.S. workspaces:
- Express Scripts Office (Edina, MN) – cubicle-centered corporate office with boardrooms and outdoor courtyard.
- Philadelphia Office (Philadelphia, PA) – tall cubicle setup in a bustling downtown environment.
- Morrill Hall, Iowa State University (Ames, IA) – hybrid academic/administrative space with museum adjacency.
- La La Land Kind Cafe (Plano, TX) – vibrant café environment, selected to contrast traditional office settings.
Key Observations
At each site we examined:
- 🪑 Layout & Flow – furniture arrangement, movement, and proximity between people.
- 🎨 Color & Decor – palette, personalization, and atmosphere.
- 🌞 Lighting – natural vs. artificial sources, warmth, and intensity.
- 🔊 Noise & Temperature – background sound, comfort, and adaptations (e.g., headphone use).
- ⚡ Amenities – charging stations, food services, shared spaces, and how these supported productivity.
Interviews
We supplemented observations with 11 contextual inquiries across sites (employees, students, café customers).
Topics included:
- Preferences for layouts (cubicles vs. open plans).
- Perceptions of lighting, temperature, and noise.
- Mood and focus in response to environmental factors.
- Social interactions and collaboration in shared spaces.
Sample Questions
How do you feel about the layout and organization of the workspace?
How does the workspace’s temperature generally feel to you? Does it affect your focus or productivity?
How does the workspace’s color palette or decor influence your mood or energy levels?
Key Findings
Across all sites, three major themes emerged:
Privacy vs. Collaboration:
- Cubicles fostered focus and personal space, while open plans encouraged collaboration but often created distractions.
Environmental Comfort Matters:
- Lighting, temperature, and noise shaped moods, energy, and productivity.
Workspaces Influence Well-being:
- Vibrant, sensory-rich spaces (like cafes) boosted motivation, while dull aesthetics (like beige walls + fluorescent light) drained it.
Findings by Site
Express Scripts Office (Edina, MN) 🏢
- Employees valued cubicles for privacy and reduced distractions.
- Some personalized their spaces with photos/decor, while others kept them minimal.
- Breaks often involved brief socializing at snack areas.
- Lighting and beige walls described as “uninspiring” or “depressing.”
Philadelphia Office (Philadelphia, PA) 🏙
- Tall cubicles gave privacy and quiet but limited collaboration.
- Participants showed contrasting styles: one was highly social and fostered community, others preferred isolation.
- Participation in office events (esp. with refreshments) offered occasional social connection.
Morrill Hall (Iowa State University) 🎓
- Open-plan space encouraged camaraderie and collaboration.
- But constant activity (tours, museum traffic) disrupted concentration.
- Participants adapted by relocating or using noise-canceling headphones.
- Cooler indoor temperatures posed challenges for comfort.
La La Land Kind Cafe (Plano, TX) ☕
- Vibrant decor, bright lighting, and sensory cues (aroma, music, aesthetics) initially boosted motivation.
- Background noise (conversations, drink machines) caused distractions early on, but as space quieted, participants focused more deeply.
- Café environment fostered flexibility and creativity, though lacked environmental control compared to offices.
Unexpected Insights ✨
Sensory impact matters:
- Smells, colors, and music influenced focus and energy in cafés more than in offices.
Adaptability:
- Employees coped with poor conditions by customizing spaces (lamps, blankets, schedule shifts).
Social disparities:
- Extroverts thrived in community-focused environments, while introverts sometimes felt excluded or overwhelmed.
Analysis & Insights
Thematic Analysis
We conducted a thematic analysis of our field notes and interviews, uncovering several recurring themes that shaped employee satisfaction and productivity across the four sites:
- Workspace Layout – Cubicles provided privacy and focus, while open-plan spaces encouraged collaboration but often introduced noise and distractions.
- Environmental Comfort – Lighting, temperature, and noise heavily influenced mood and productivity. Harsh fluorescent lighting and inconsistent temperatures were described as demotivating, while natural light and vibrant colors boosted energy.
- Personalization – Some employees decorated their spaces to create comfort and ownership, while others preferred minimal, strictly professional setups.
- Social Dynamics – Behaviors ranged from highly collaborative and community-oriented to solitary and task-focused, underscoring the need for flexible design.
Cultural Patterns & Behaviors
The cultural patterns observed across different workspaces reveal a rich tapestry of behaviors and interactions shaped by organizational norms, social dynamics, and individual preferences.
- Work routines – Corporate offices followed structured schedules, while cafes encouraged more flexible, gradual workflows.
- Social engagement – Some participants thrived on collaboration and conversations, while others valued minimal interaction and uninterrupted focus.
- Personalization – Decoration and customization varied; some expressed individuality through their workspace, while others preferred neutral, professional setups.
These patterns highlight the need for workplaces that respect diverse routines, social preferences, and cultural practices.
Theoretical Framework Application: Proxemics
To deepen our analysis, we applied Edward T. Hall’s theory of proxemics, which explains how people use physical space to manage comfort and interaction.
- Cubicles reflected “personal distance,” supporting privacy and concentration.
- Open-plan offices reflected “social distance,” enabling collaboration but often reducing focus.
- Environmental factors like lighting, temperature, and noise shaped spatial comfort and productivity.
This framework connected participant experiences with established design principles, offering guidance for creating balanced, inclusive workspaces.
Reflecting on our Limitations
As researchers, we recognize that our experiences and biases shape our interpretations of the field notes.
Some of these include:
- Prior familiarity with certain office or café settings influencing perceptions of productivity
- Differences in cultural backgrounds and professional roles shaping interpretations of satisfaction
- Our dual roles as both observers and, at times, participants affecting neutrality
- Limited scope of U.S.-based sites, reducing broader generalizability
To mitigate these biases, we employed a collaborative approach to data analysis, ensuring that multiple perspectives informed our interpretations.
Design Implications
Our findings informed actionable recommendations for workplace design:
- Hybrid layouts that combine private and collaborative spaces
- Customizable environmental controls for lighting, temperature, and acoustics
- Flexible workspace policies that respect diverse working styles
- Opportunities for personalization without forcing it, allowing both minimalist and expressive approaches
Synthesis of Data
We developed a codebook to organize recurring themes across sites, including Lighting, Temperature, Noise, Layout, Aesthetics, and Social Dynamics.
Future Opportunities
Based on our findings, there are exciting directions for rethinking how we design work environments:
Inclusive Design for All
- Explore how workspaces can better support neurodiverse employees and people with different sensory or accessibility needs through thoughtful layout, lighting, and acoustic design.
Hybrid & Digital Workspaces
- Investigate how virtual and physical environments intersect by identifying ways technology can bridge collaboration while still allowing for focused, distraction-free work.
Human-Centered Innovation
- Apply participatory design methods to actively involve employees in shaping their environments, ensuring that evolving work cultures are reflected in workspace solutions.
Reflection & Takeaways
This project gave me the opportunity to explore how workspace design directly impacts human experiences of productivity, satisfaction, and well-being.
What I Learned
- Workspace design is more than physical layouts; it shapes mood, focus, and social interactions.
- Environmental factors like lighting, noise, and temperature often matter as much as organizational policies.
- Subtle cultural differences influence how people adapt to shared or private work environments.
Skills I developed:
- Conducting ethnographic research with methods like participant observation and contextual inquiry.
- Applying theory (proxemics) to analyze real-world behaviors and spatial dynamics.
- Collaborating across a team to synthesize findings while balancing different researcher perspectives.
Big Takeaway
One of the biggest lessons I took away from this study is that workplace design is never just about efficiency. A “good” workspace has to nurture people’s well-being, support different working styles, and adapt to diverse needs.
This experience gave me a deeper appreciation for human-centered design. I now think more critically about how space, culture, and human needs come together to shape everyday experiences. It’s a perspective I carry with me into future design work, whether I’m building digital products or considering physical environments.
Thank You for Reading!
Credits:
Created with images by S... - "search information in the book" • kenchiro168 - "Two business people talking in cafe and discussing business project." • Ayyathullah Ahmad - "3d office minimalist room with wooden design interior" • Vasyl - "Group of people working in office" • Alessandro Biascioli - "Business team in co-working creative space" • fizkes - "Modern coworking room interior with corporate team people group working on computers sitting at desks in open space, corporate staff workers colleagues using desktops, office rush concept, top view" • Syda Productions - "interior, remote job and business concept - laptop, lamp and stationery on table at home office"