How do you use data to improve your workplace design?

1 Define your goals

The first step to using data to improve your workplace design is to define what you want to achieve with your design. What kind of culture do you want to create or reinforce in your organization? How do you want your employees to interact, collaborate, and innovate? How do you want to support their well-being, engagement, and satisfaction? These are some of the questions you need to answer before you start collecting data. You can use surveys, interviews, focus groups, or workshops to gather feedback from your employees and stakeholders on what they value, need, and expect from their workplace.

2 Measure your current state

The next step is to measure how your current workplace design affects your culture and performance. You can use various types of data to assess your space, such as occupancy, utilization, environmental, behavioral, and attitudinal data. Occupancy data tells you how many people use your space and when. Utilization data tells you how people use your space and for what purpose. Environmental data tells you how your space influences factors like temperature, lighting, noise, and air quality. Behavioral data tells you how people communicate, collaborate, and move in your space. Attitudinal data tells you how people feel about your space, such as their comfort, satisfaction, and engagement. You can use sensors, badges, cameras, apps, or software to collect these types of data.

3 Test your solutions

The third step is to test different solutions to improve your workplace design based on the data you collected. You can use prototyping, piloting, or experimenting methods to try out different layouts, furniture, equipment, or policies in your space. For example, you can prototype a new collaboration area with movable walls, tables, and chairs. You can pilot a new flexible work policy that allows employees to choose where and when they work. You can experiment with different lighting or temperature settings in different zones of your space. You can use the same types of data you collected in the previous step to measure the impact of your solutions on your culture and performance.

4 Evaluate your results

The final step is to evaluate the results of your solutions and decide which ones to implement or modify. You can use data visualization, dashboards, or reports to compare and contrast the data before and after your solutions. You can also use feedback from your employees and stakeholders to validate and refine your solutions. You can use metrics like occupancy rate, utilization rate, collaboration frequency, employee satisfaction, employee engagement, or employee retention to quantify the value of your solutions. You can use qualitative insights like employee stories, testimonials, or suggestions to enrich your understanding of your solutions.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?