User Quotes
Here is a selection of quotes from the user research in London, Yokohama and Melbourne.
Problems with concentration
‘Nobody is making a lot of noise, but one is on the phone; another, someone has come up to him to discuss; usually it’s about work; you could have eight conversations at a time.’
‘I find it hard to concentrate. My team can all be talking on the phone and I have to concentrate on a financial report. That was a challenge, and continues to be.’
‘Noise affects concentration. Non-work related noise is very distracting, snippets of conversation and laughing and joking. Sometimes the work is not so interesting and it’s easy to be distracted… I very rarely ask for quiet.’
Alternative ways of working
‘I work in an open plan office and loathe it; just doesn’t suit my way of working; I work visually; they think everything is on the little screen… I work sub-optimal, I would say.’
‘When I used my manager’s office my productivity went up, now it’s gone down again. I need to see graphs, charts, representations of data, blocks of text, so I can group my ideas.’
Sensitivity to environment
‘I know from myself, my energy or focus have diminished with age.’
‘That’s the problem in open plan offices, it’s an average environment for average people, in terms of light, heat, everything.’
Attitudes to technology
'We are not as fast in terms of adopting some of the technology because you have to unlearn what you have learnt before. That is the bit that baby boomers are not very good at.'
'The differences in technology and learning are generation related, and not age related, it is not about ability.'
Institutional ambivalence to ageing
'People probably see me as stuck in my ways, ‘she’s very experienced but she has her own ways of doing things’, that is the subtext.'
'I speak to older colleagues and they agree we are no longer on the fast track to anywhere'
Vision and Lighting
'Certainly [my] sight is weaker. I have to wear glasses for reading now, but then I can’t look at the computer screen, it’s blurry…maybe the answer is a bigger screen…and the light sometimes seems to disturb. I open and close the shades a lot.’
‘It’s easy to get the lighting right at home because you’ve got more control over it. I don’t sit at one desk. I prefer a spotlight rather than room light because you’re sitting in your own shadow. I find the uniform light dispiriting.’
‘The environment of light in the open-plan office is not right...row upon row of ceiling light, like an open shed; the lights don’t line up with the desks.’
‘I use the task light to make it easier to read, I am further into the building and have less natural light, I use it all the time, I need more light, I see lots of people not using them, and I think my God, why don’t you use them, but then they aren’t as old as I am.’
'When there is daylight, you feel physically and emotionally better, its more uplifting.'
'I love the natural light. Diluted natural light is the best'.
Hearing and Acoustics
‘There are times I find I’m irritated when people hold conversations with high voices, just like I do. Sometimes people are having some fun and it’s essential in an office. We are opinionated and voices rise.’
‘There is awareness of making too much noise. The noise level varies; depends on number of people. Some people find it intrusive, I’ve never. Depends on your state of mind and character.’
‘The open plan office can be noisy. You get boisterous people who seem very happy... At the moment its quieter, it depends on the people around.’
'My hearing is apparently too good. I sometimes play a CD when I want to read something technical or focus.’
Physical ergonomics
‘Internally, I get up and visit people. If I’m on an exercise kick, I try not to do anything by phone, I’ll clock up a lot of miles, the building is long.’
‘Don’t really feel a physical difference with age. I have a trolley on wheels to take my lap-top and files home, and I have a pass to get the car into the basement parking; don’t do stairs; I couldn’t physically carry.'
‘Depends where in the cycle of fitness I am whether I use the stairs. I try to.’
‘I’d say, for goodness sake, you think I’m going to do those steps at my age?’
Cognition
‘I still get lost’
‘Offices are set up in a standard way, each floor is the same.’
‘Extroverts get energy from busy office around them; introverts are more concerned.’
Health and wellbeing
‘I don’t play ball sports, the thought of going on a treadmill in the gym drives me to distraction. If I want exercise I’d go up and down the stairs. I trained for a trip in the Alps like that. I hardly ever use the lift, to keep fit, and on nice days I’ll go to the park.’
‘We need to be walking around, printers have been strategically placed, at first this seemed to be a nuisance, so you have to walk for them – the benefits of the walking seem worthwhile’
‘I get tired and I don’t mean physical. I get sleepy at the end of the day, around 4pm when I’m doing boring things I need to do. I need to turn off for half an hour in the middle of the day. I’m not comfortable stopping for something non-related to work here. I know lots of people go to the gym.’
‘Late in the afternoon, I’m tired.’
Design interventions
'I loved the different types of chairs, and in particular the recliner'
'The reading chairs seemed suited for small people, they needed foot rests and looked straight out of an OAP day centre!'
'The reclining sofa would be useful in a dedicated quiet zone'
'The reading chairs were not suitable for the office, as they looked too much like something you might find in an hospital.'
'The rain curtain became a bit soporific after a while, I would not want one in my workspace'
'The rain curtain had a subliminal impact after an initial surprise, it was relaxing. I would choose to place water features all over the place [office] and include birdsong / sea / forest sounds etc.'
'The rain curtain made me feel a bit cold'
'The rain curtain, maybe it’s my imagination, but the air felt fresher and better, the sound acted as helpful white noise'
'The sit - stand desk was brilliant, I had to have my own desk lowered, and I now need a new chair'
'Changing the position of the desk height aided intense concentration, but it needed an adjustable stool (with foot rest) to give variety and choice, I would sometimes prefer to stand to work'
'The adjustable desk / table would give me the option to stand or sit down when working.'
' I didn’t find the chairs easy to adjust, there were too many levers.'
'I found the chairs easy to adjust and intuitive to use due to their good design.'
'The concept of the lighting system was very interesting - just after a few minutes in this area, I could feel the benefits compared to the lighting we have currently in the building which can be harsh sometimes.'
'I held a very personal meeting with my manage... I found the lighting relaxed me and made the meeting less stressful, I also felt more open with my manager through being relaxed. My manager also commented how less stressful the meeting was and how good the lighting was.'
' I found the lighting claustrophobic. I can’t [envisage it] in my open plan - I want my own space! I would value being able to turn down the lighting'
'The acoustic noise masking technology - I would love to have this in the area I work in now'
'I found the acoustic noise masking technology helped concentration, because it made the space seem more private, I was less concerned about disturbing others.'
'Future Acoustic could allow you to attend a teleconference at your own desk without disturbing others'
' Future Acoustic helped with concentration because when people came in and were talking, I was disturbed - increasing volume of noise (of Future acoustic) it was easier to tune the voices out'
'I prefer traditional keyboard and mouse, although it was easy enough to set up. The keyboard didn’t work at first, whereas the mouse did. Then I tried what looked like an on switch, and it was fine'
'With the keyboard and mouse, I couldn’t make it work until someone came and showed me how'
'The Wave keyboard had a better feel [than a traditional keyboard]'