| 1. |
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| 2. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983, et al.
(author)
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A comparison of Diary Method Variations for Enlightening Form Generation in the Design Process
- 2012
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In: Proceedings of the Design Research Society conference 2012, Bangkok, 1-4 July 2012.
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper presents two studies in which an empirical approach was taken to understand and explain form generation and decisions taken in the design process. In particular, the activities addressing aesthetic aspects when exteriorizing form ideas in the design process have been the focus of the present study. Diary methods were the starting point of this research for investigating the form generation process through collecting self-reflective comments from the participants. The main focus of this paper is to address potentials and limitations of the three variants of diary method used for data collection, namely, unstructured diaries, structured diaries and visual diaries. A set of method evaluation criteria was developed to compare the structure of the diary variants. By qualitative analysis of the results and comparison of the diary variants, strengths and weaknesses of each variant were identified. One of the prominent factors in the diary variants was pegged to be due to the logging delay after the occurrence of the activities.
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| 3. |
- Rahe, Ulrike, 1964, et al.
(author)
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Creating Novel Product Form Based on Formal Aesthetics – A Method for Advanced Form Design Education
- 2012
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In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education, Antwerp, 6-7 September, 2012..
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- One of the most distinct aspects of creativity in design is an aesthetic sense, an indubitable determinant of product success in the market. It is therefore of great importance to nurture creativity in terms of formal aesthetics in design education. However, the focus of design education has shifted away from product form and instead towards user-centred design (UCD) practices. An intrinsic challenge in the tradition of user-centred design is that it initiates creating products from the definition of some user needs, educing design solutions that are, to some extent, already known by the user, as familiarity factors are favoured. In our research, we turn the established UCD process around and propose an approach for exploring and creating novel product form with a focus on formal aesthetics. This paper elaborates on the Formal Aesthetics Design Approach that has been explored during a three-year case study, performed within a Masters programme in Industrial Design Engineering. A deep exploration of aesthetic form opportunities, consciously without any respect to user demands, was carried out by a structured five-step method. There was no ‘given’ or predefined aim for the form design process, which lead to a creative and experimental yet structured generation of formal solutions beyond the functionality of use. Hence, a variety of novel and unexpected form ideas emerged, broadening the morphological form repertoire as a result of the suggested method of work. This research illustrates benefits offered by applying a formal aesthetic design approach as a creative form generation process in design education.
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| 4. |
- Rahe, Ulrike, 1964, et al.
(author)
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Innovative Form Design - A Formal Aesthetics Design Approach for Creative Form Generation
- 2012
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In: Proceedings of the Design Research Society conference 2012, Bangkok, 1-4 July 2012.
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- An intrinsic challenge in user-centereddesign approach is that it educes designsolutions that are, to some extent, alreadyknown by the user, since familiarity factorsare favoured. In our research, we turnthe established UCD process around andpropose an approach for exploring andcreating novel product form based onformal aesthetics, unconstrained by convention,function, use and context.
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| 5. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983, et al.
(author)
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Activity Theory. A framework for understanding the interrelations between users and workplace design.
- 2021
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In: A Handbook of Theories on Designing Alignment Between People and the Office Environment. - London : Routledge.
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Book chapter (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Activity theory (AT) is a conceptual framework for the study of human activity. From this theoretical perspective, an activity system is the primary unit of analysis and is broken into three analytical components: (i) the subject - the person, group or organisation being studied, (ii) the mediating tools by which the activity is carried out, and (iii) the object that the provides the meaning and purpose for which subjects engage in activities. As the concept of tool mediation is central to the theory, its application in workplace studies has enabled an understanding of the interaction between employees as users, their activities and workplaces as mediating tools. AT has been applied in workplace studies to examine the implications of relocating to flexible offices, offering a holistic and contextual method of discovery that has informed use(r)-centred workplace design. Qualitative and interpretative research is recommended for examining the components of activities and their interdependencies. To this end, contextual inquiries are recommended, with a triangulation of methods such as interviews, observations and walkthroughs to ensure a comprehensive understanding of activity systems. The chapter concludes with a step-by-step guide for conducting workplace studies, using AT as an analytical framework.
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| 6. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983, et al.
(author)
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Adoption of ergonomic features in a new reach truck cabin design – a usability study
- 2012
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In: Work. - 1051-9815. ; 41:Supplement 1, s. 1486-1492
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The task of handling reach trucks frequently involves poor working postures. The location of the steering wheel in most reach trucks is in front of the operator which requires the drivers to bend forward and stretch their hands for holding onto the steering wheel. To overcome visibility restrictions, this posture is aggravated by twisting and bending their torso sideways. This paper presents a usability study which was conducted to compare adoption of ergonomic features in a new reach truck cabin with the way they were intended to be employed for improving physical working conditions. Participants drove the reach truck on a test track performing tasks of varying complexity. Video recordings were utilized to facilitate the observations. The results indicate that improved ergonomics features of the reach truck are not used as intended. The test subjects instead adopted postures that they were accustomed to when driving common reach trucks. The possible contributing factors to this posture regression are discussed. The procedure used in this study is recommended for the companies to determine the effectiveness and adoption of ergonomics solutions.
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| 7. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983, et al.
(author)
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Appropriation of an Activity-based Flexible Office in Daily Work
- 2018
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In: Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies. - 2245-0157. ; 8:S3, s. 71-94
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In recent years, there has been growing interest in collaborative consumption of office environments and thereby implementation of Activity-based Flexible Offices (A-FOs). Relocating to an A-FO introduces a desk-sharing policy as well as a multitude of new workspaces with different speech policies into the employee’s work context. This paper describes how employees appropriate desk-sharing and speech policies in an A-FO. The data were collected over a period of 6 months in a case organization by means of 18 shadowing sessions. The different ways in which employees appropriated the A-FO solution were (i) adopting, experimenting with, or rejecting the desk-sharing policy, and (ii) modes of interaction arising from spatial configuration and redefining speech policies. The discussion outlines the reasons behind appropriation or nonappropriation of the desk-sharing and emergent speech policies. The insights from this study provide support for organizations considering A-FOs to develop strategies for facilitating individuals’ work in these settings.
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| 8. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983, et al.
(author)
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Bridging the Discrepancy between Reflective Practice and Systematic Form Generation Approaches
- 2013
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In: International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education, 5 & 6 September 2013, Dublin Institute Of Technology, Dublin, Ireland. ; , s. 778-783
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Systematic form development frameworks help the students and designers to broaden their form repertoire. Nevertheless, when they are encouraged in classroom activities, several aspects must be considered. For example, over-reliance on them limits the students’ ability to reflect on the process and actively look for alternative ways of finding solutions. This paper presents a classroom experiment that encouraged adopting a systematic yet reflective approach for developing product form alternatives. In a Master course (7,5 ECTS) in Advanced Form Design, twelve student teams, first introduced to the theoretical framework, were asked to find their own approaches for applying the theory on a product form design assignment.This paper reports on the general structure of students’ different interpretations for the form generation process, and discusses its contribution to the overall learning experience. An overall description of the assignment as well as a conclusive summary of the produced results is presented here. Further, an exemplifying case will be used to demonstrate the great form variety in the results of the assignments. The outcomes of the course put to proof that there is a need to encourage reflection-on-action when applying systematic form design theory.
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| 9. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983, et al.
(author)
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Contextual user research methods for eliciting user experience insights in workplace studies
- 2020
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In: FUTURE WORKSPACES. ; , s. 265-275
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose : The purpose of this paper is to contribute with experiences and reflections on user research methods that we have tested in our studies of users' experiences in office environments. Theory : Previous workplace studies with qualitative data approaches mainly rely on traditional methods such as interviews and observations. Based on user-centered design research, we outline methods that can be used to facilitate understanding the interrelations between users and their surrounding environment. Design : Three methods and their variations were applied in different case studies to facilitate understanding of user experiences in office environments: (i) spatial walkthroughs, (ii) card sorting, and (iii) experience curve mapping. Findings : Spatial walkthroughs were more immersive and provided most insights on the actual context with respect to spatial design qualities. The card sorting enabled exploring user experiences with respect to predetermined aspects. The experience curve mapping enabled understanding the temporal aspects of the user experience. The latter two methods were less immersive and less disruptive in the organisational context than the spatial walkthroughs. The flexibility of these methods allows for tailoring the application depending on the purpose of the workplace studies. We recommend using a combination of these methods to capture a more holistic understanding of user experiences and improving the workspace design to better fit the users. Originality : The outlined methods required user involvement and participation and provided insights for making evidence-based recommendations for designing or redesigning office environments that fit users' needs and preferences.
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| 10. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983, et al.
(author)
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Ergonomics of Office Work in a VR Environment: A State-of-the-art Literature Review
- 2022
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In: Conference Proceedings of the 51st NES Conference: Work Well - Ergonomics in an unpredictable world. - 9789150629750
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Virtual Reality (VR) holds promise as a potential professional work tool – one such potential is to support office work tasks. VR is a simulated environment accessed via head-mounted displays and hand-controlled devices for interacting with the virtual interface. This paper aims to provide a state-of-the-art review of empirical research on VR-based office work, focusing on ergonomics. A structured literature database search and criteria-based exclusion led to a total of 5 papers addressing office work in a VR environment. The research on VR-based office work identifies potentials and drawbacks relevant to consider for future research and developments. The identified studies examine technical solutions, task performance, user experience and comfort when using VR-based solutions. The fast pace of technology development, e.g lighter headsets, increased field of vision and screen resolution, new controls, and the emerging plethora of new software may resolve many identified challenges, while perhaps introducing new problems.
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| 11. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983
(author)
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Exploring interdependencies between perceived visions of change and adoption of Activity-based Flexible Offices
- 2018
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Purpose: The purpose of this paper was: (i) to identify office users’ perception of the organisational motives and visions behind relocating to Activity-based Flexible Offices (A-FOs), and (ii) explore whether the users’ perception of change visions may relate to adoption of A-FOs as office innovations and/or to underlying causes of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the office solution. Design/methodology/approach: A case study approach was chosen to enable the understanding of users’ perception of change motives and its relationship with adoption of A-FOs and satisfaction or dissatisfaction with these office solutions. The case organisation was a Pharmaceutical company that had relocated a total of 160 employees to two floors of the same building. All of the employees were invited to partake in the study. The employees in floor A were relocated two years prior to the study, while the employees in floor B were relocated two months prior to the study. The data collection involved (i) semi-structured interviews with 22 employees and one process manager from the facility development group, (ii) collecting documentations regarding planning process, the solution, and earlier evaluations of the concept, and (iii) observations regarding actual use of the premises. Findings: The documentations and the interview with the process manager revealed that the organisations’ motives behind relocating to A-FOs was (i) to allow for organisational flexibility and facilitate collaboration, especially since they had a need for collocating different departments, (ii) cost-reductions by eliminating costs of moving groups and departments, and (iii) optimising use of spaces and resources. According to the majority of the interviewees (10/12) from floor A, the organisations’ motives behind relocation were to improve and facilitate collaboration and as a result achieve a more effective way to deliver their products. Their perception of organisational motives behind relocation was in line with the actual intentions. Interviewees from floor A were satisfied with the premises and felt that the A-FO solution supported their activities. On the other hand, according to all of the interviewees from floor B (two months after relocation), the motive behind relocation was to reduce costs. Their perception of change motives deviated from actual intentions. They were dissatisfied with the A-FO concept and felt that it impeded their work. While all interviewees from the first group adopted the office solution, half of the interviewees from the second group rejected the desk-sharing concept and did not switch workstations as intended. Practical implications: It is important to clearly communicate and motivate the reasons, motives and visions behind relocation to A-FOs during the implementation process. Furthermore, attention should be paid to the adoption and appropriation of A-FOs as office innovations, as this study showed that the employees who had used the A-FO for two years were more satisfied with the solution. Originality/value: This study shows that (i) employees’ perceptions of organisational motives behind relocation has relevance for satisfaction with A-FOs and compliance with desk-sharing rules, and (ii) whether time for appropriation and adoption has relevance for satisfaction with A-FOs.
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| 12. |
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| 13. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983
(author)
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From fading novelty effects to emergent appreciation of Activity-based Flexible Offices: Comparing the individual, organisational and spatial adaptations in two case organisations
- 2019
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In: Applied Ergonomics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0003-6870 .- 1872-9126. ; 81
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Activity-based Flexible Offices (AFOs) are innovations in workspace design that have been increasingly implemented in organisations in recent years. There are conflicting research results on the long-term consequences of implementing AFOs. This paper investigates the changes (if any) that occur over time, in: 1) employee satisfaction with AFO solutions and perceived work support, 2) ways of working and using AFOs and 3) the AFO solution. Two organisations participated in the study. The data collection involved: (i) semi-structured interviews with 26 employees and (ii) process enquiries involving the collection of secondary data and interviews with facility management teams. The findings indicate that limited options for improving an AFO solution lead to lingering work environment problems. By contrast, modifying the solution through systematic processes based on employee feedback helped resolving the initial problems. Over time, this led to an increased appreciation and a sense of collective ownership of the AFO solution.
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| 14. |
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| 15. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983, et al.
(author)
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Media and representations in product design education
- 2014
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In: A. Eger, A. Kovacevic, & B. E. Parkinson (Eds.), Design Education & Human Technology Relations, Proceedings of The 16th International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education. ; , s. 42-47
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The creation of product form, involves embodying a potential function and intended use while defining geometrical, ordering principles. This paper aims to elaborate roles of different media and representations in design activities intended to externalise form ideas (e.g. sketching, building physical models, digital modelling, etc.). Understanding and explaining this is central to helping students and practitioners engage with, reflect on, and value the roles of media for externalising ideas.To understand and explain the role of media in design activities, design diaries were analysed. These were documented as part of a course in Advanced Form Design (7,5 ECTS - master level) in spring terms 2011-2013 with a total of 38 participants. For course completion, the students were expected work in groups on a project seeking creative form ideas and solutions for a dinnerware product with a high level of novelty, aesthetic detail, and functionality. Design diaries were used as an educational method for initiating and documenting self-reflections on a weekly basis. The students were to reflect on their process and the underlying motivations behind their activities.Design progress can be seen, as interplay of moving-seeing not only within one medium of externalizing, but also across different media. In the design diaries the students engaged in a dialectic process when translating their ideas from one medium to another. The results from diary analysis show how reframing prior ideas facilitates interpretation, discovery and correction of the assumptions that are not revealed in previous representations, and thereby, learning from previous mistakes. Creating educational situations to encourage the students iterate more often using different media, may result in reaching more well-reasoned solutions.Further, the paper discusses issues regarding skill in manipulation of material and media. Eloquence in using media facilitates idea generation without necessarily being bounded to and distracted by technical problems. This accentuates a need to help design students become more skilled in using different media, thereby enabling a fluent exploration of novel solutions.The paper provides a platform for students and, educators to engage with, reflect on and discuss how different media may support design, but in some cases also constrain creativity and ability to work with three-dimensional form.
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| 16. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983, et al.
(author)
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Methods for eliciting user experience insights in workplace studies: spatial walkthroughs, experience curve mapping and card sorting
- 2022
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In: Journal of Corporate Real Estate. - 1463-001X .- 1479-1048. ; 24:1, s. 4-20
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose Drawing on a user-centred design perspective, the purpose of this paper is to (i) provide an overview of three contextual user research methods, namely, spatial walkthroughs, experience curve mapping and card sorting, (ii) exemplify their applications in different case studies and (iii) compare the methods according to their contributions for the study of users’ workplace experiences. Previous workplace studies with qualitative approaches mainly rely on methods such as interviews and observations. Although these methods provide rich data, the understanding of office users, their use situations and finding more fitting workplace designs can benefit from deeper user experience insights. Design/methodology/approach Three methods and their variants were tested in studies of user experience in flexible offices: spatial walkthroughs, experience curve mapping and card sorting. The methods were tested during workshops and interviews in four case studies with a total of 114 participants. Findings Spatial walkthroughs were more immersive and provided the most insights on the actual context with respect to spatial design qualities, while experience curve mapping enabled understanding the temporal aspects of the user experience and card sorting enabled exploring user experiences with respect to predetermined spatial qualities and contextual aspects. Originality/value Spatial walkthroughs, experience curve mapping and card sorting methods have not previously been applied in workplace studies. They facilitate dialogue, participation and user involvement and provide insights for making evidence-based recommendations for designing or redesigning office environments that fit users’ needs and preferences.
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| 17. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983
(author)
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PENSIERI - An Inquiry into Sketching and Modelling in Design
- 2015
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Licentiate thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- When proposing ideas for design solutions, designers often make representations, for example sketches and models of different kinds. This thesis seeks to examine what designers do when interacting with different media to externalise their ideas, and the resources they have at their disposal. In two studies, students and experienced design practitioners were asked to describe their working processes. The first study made use of weekly design diaries of 11 masters students, collected during a seven-week project course. Furthermore, semi-structured interviews were held with 11 practitioners regarding the process of creating their latest award winning products. They discussed what they were able to achieve and how the media and representations they used enabled them to do so. The findings of these studies highlight (i) the roles of sketching, and physical and digital modelling for ideation in individual designer’s work, and (ii) some prominent qualities of media and representations that support designers during these activities, for example the extent to which they are malleable, accurate, or fixed.By providing a taxonomy for classifying various media and design representations, these findings expand on previous conceptions about sketching and modelling. An increased understanding of how ideas emerge and are materialised in the early phases of a design process, can provide opportunities for facilitating and stimulating the act of creation.
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| 18. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983, et al.
(author)
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Policies in Activity-based Flexible Offices -‘I am sloppy with clean-desking. We don’t really know the rules.’
- 2019
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In: Ergonomics. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0014-0139 .- 1366-5847. ; 62:1, s. 1-20
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Activity-based Flexible Offices (A-FOs) are offices with unassigned desks that provide a variety of workspaces. This paper presents desk-sharing and speech rules identified in A-FOs in four Swedish organisations, the emergence of and compliance with these rules, and their consequences for work conditions. Data collection involved 105 semi-structured interviews, document analyses, and observations. The identified rules were: (1) to remove belongings, (2) temporal restrictions on using the same workstations, (3) temporal restrictions on using scarce zones, (4) restrictions on verbal interactions, and (5) restrictions on phone conversations. The cases with extensive user involvement in their planning process had explicit unambiguous rules. A better compliance with rules occurred when (i) the employees were well-prepared and had a unified understanding regarding how and why to follow the rules, (ii) the rules were explicitly communicated and were regarded as easy to follow, and (iii) following the rules facilitated work and improved work conditions.
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| 19. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983, et al.
(author)
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Post-pandemic office work: Perceived challenges and opportunities for a sustainable work environment
- 2022
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In: Sustainability. - : MDPI AG. - 2071-1050. ; 14:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The widespread adoption of remote and hybrid work due to COVID-19 calls for studies that explore the ramifications of these scenarios for office workers from an occupational health and wellbeing perspective. This paper aims to identify the needs and challenges in remote and hybrid work and the potential for a sustainable future work environment. Data collection involved two qualitative studies with a total of 53 participants, who represented employees, staff managers, and service/facility providers at three Swedish public service organisations (primarily healthcare and infrastructure administration). The results describe opportunities and challenges with the adoption of remote and hybrid work from individual, group, and leadership perspectives. The main benefits of remote work were increased flexibility, autonomy, work-life balance and individual performance, while major challenges were social aspects such as lost comradery and isolation. Hybrid work was perceived to provide the best of both worlds of remote and office work, given that employees and managers develop new skills and competencies to adjust to new ways of working. To achieve the expected individual and organisational benefits of hybrid work, employers are expected to provide support and flexibility and re-design the physical and digital workplaces to fit the new and diverse needs of employees.
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| 20. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983
(author)
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Roles of externalisation activities in the design process
- 2014
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In: Swedish Design Research Journal. - 2000-964X. ; 2014:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Designers engage in various activities, dealing with different materials and media to externalise and represent their form ideas. This paper presents a review of design research literature regarding externalisation activities in design process: sketching, building physical models and digital modelling. The aim has been to review research on the roles of media and representations in design processes, and highlight knowledge gaps and questions for future research.
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| 21. |
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| 22. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983, et al.
(author)
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The Influence of Self-reflective Diaries on Students' Design Processes
- 2012
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In: DesignEd Asia Conference 2012.
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Earlier phases of design projects are always followed by the activities of analysis, synthesis and evaluation that are the outstanding commonalities shared between design process models. Designers continuously organise and reduce large amounts of generated data in order to find cohesion and clarity and gain a holistic understanding of the design space. The present research considers a specific way to facilitate the design processes of students. It elaborates on using diaries as an educational method for documenting self-reflections, which in turn aid students’ product form creation processes. Placing emphasis on reflection allows design students to (i) assess their activities and self-criticise the progress and content of their design projects, (ii) better plan and organize their project activities, and (iii) better communicate with other stakeholders in the product development process, by providing an opportunity to articulate what they have done.
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| 23. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983
(author)
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The Quest for the Room of Requirement - Why Some Activity-based Flexible Offices Work While Others Do Not
- 2019
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The overarching purpose of this thesis is to develop further knowledge of the consequences of relocating to Activity-based Flexible Offices (AFOs). As workspace design innovations, AFOs are increasingly implemented in organisations. AFOs comprise a variety of workspaces for employees to choose from depending on their preferences or activities. Workspaces in AFOs are shared, instead of every employee having their own desk. Research results are inconsistent regarding employee satisfaction with AFOs, and research into employees’ appropriation of AFOs and organisations’ processes of adopting AFOs is sparse. In response to these knowledge gaps, the thesis aims to explain why some AFOs work while others do not. The thesis builds on five case studies: (i) three cases with recently implemented AFOs, and (ii) two cases with AFOs implemented at least two years prior to the study. Data collection in all the case studies involved semi-structured interviews with employees and facility managers, observations and collection of secondary data such as process overviews, and layout drawings. For data collection and analysis, a theoretical framework was developed and used consisting of Activity Theory, artefact ecology, as well as theories of innovation adoption and appropriation. The findings show that individuals’ usage of AFOs varies considerably due to personal circumstances and work-related preconditions. Drawing on Activity Theory, three types of matches/mismatches were identified in employees’ activity systems: Employee ↔ AFO, Activity ↔ AFO, and Employee ↔ Activity. Furthermore, individuals’ usage preferences and non-preferences highlighted sub-optimal design features in the AFOs: (a) ambiguity and insufficient communication of rules; (b) undesirable ambient features; (c) exposure to stimuli; (d) difficult to interpret workspaces; and (e) dysfunctionality and insufficiency of the collective instruments. In summary, AFOs work in the absence of mismatches related to individuals’ personal and work-related preconditions and sub-optimal design features. The employees’ processes of appropriating AFOs involved first encounters, exploration, and stable phases, during which various types of adaptations occurred: (i) on an individual level: acquired insights, and behavioural, social and hedonic adaptations, as well as (ii) in the AFO solutions: rule-related, spatial and instrument adaptations. Furthermore, the AFO adoption process in organisations varied considerably. Procedural shortcomings during the planning process led to a limited understanding of AFO users and thus the sub-optimal AFO designs, while shortcomings during the routinising stage involved restrictions on making post-relocation improvements in AFOs and inadequate Occupational Health & Safety management. To conclude, AFOs work provided (i) they match individuals’ personal circumstances and work-related preconditions; (ii) they facilitate flexibility and shared use of spaces through well-designed rules, workspaces and instruments; (iii) individuals’ appropriation processes reach a stable phase where mismatches are resolved and fruitful symbiosis is achieved in their activity systems; and (iv) the organisations’ process of adopting AFOs is successful both during the planning and the post-relocation routinising stages, leading to a collective sense of ownership among employees.
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| 24. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983, et al.
(author)
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Use profiles in Activity-based Flexible Offices – A case study
- 2017
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In: Nordic Ergonomics Society (NES2017) Conference Proceedings; A-L. Osvalder, M. Blomé, and H. Bodnar (Eds.), 20-23 August, Lund. p. 197-204. (2017). - 9789177531524 ; , s. 6-
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this paper is to investigate whether the users in an Activity-based flexible office follow the intended desk-sharing policy, and further explore if any use patterns emerge regarding workstation choices and preferences. Survey data was collected at a case organisation in Sweden. From all the 66 employees that had been relocated and received the survey electronically, 46 respondents completed the survey. The majority of the respondents followed the desk-sharing policy and did not claim workstations. Motives for switching workstations and workstation choices were related to the nature of respondents’ activities (e.g. temporal conditions), as well as their preferences.
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| 25. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983, et al.
(author)
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Visualizing the design process–an educational approach for the synthesis of design diaries
- 2013
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In: 10th European Academy of Design Conference - Crafting the Future.
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There have been a lot of efforts in the research community for describing the design process and visualizing it in general roadmaps. But when it comes to designers, they have difficulties in explaining how they work and what they do. Since designers draw upon their personal experiences, through time they develop a more or less individual process. The ability to explain and reflect on the design process will not only facilitate self-evaluation for the designers, but also would assist them in communicating with other stakeholders in the product development process. While there are various educational approaches for teaching different design skills, design literature has not provided many examples of approaches for familiarizing the designstudents with reflecting on, and communicating their individual processes. This article reports on such an approach, which aimed to provide the design students with the ability to communicate their design process through documenting self-reflective comments in form generation diaries and synthesizing their self-reflections by visualizing their process.
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| 26. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983, et al.
(author)
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Workspace preferences and non-preferences in Activity-based Flexible Offices: Two case studies
- 2020
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In: Applied Ergonomics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0003-6870 .- 1872-9126. ; 83
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Activity-based Flexible Offices (AFOs) are innovations in workspace design that are being increasingly implemented in organisations. While most studies investigate satisfaction and perceived work support in AFOs, employees' workspace preferences are not addressed in the literature. The aims of this study were to (i) identify workspace preferences and non-preferences in AFOs, and (ii) investigate whether employees’ workstation choices support their activities and align with their preferences. Two Swedish municipalities participated in the study. Data collection involved 27 semi-structured interviews and annotations on architectural drawings. The results showed that the interviewees preferred workstations that were both desirable and functional, and avoided workstations that were undesirable. This was due to functional, social, emotional and symbolic aspects of the workspaces as well as their physical structure and stimuli. The approach used in this paper can be adopted for improving the design of AFOs, thereby mitigating the stress of finding a suitable workstation.
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| 27. |
- Berlin, Cecilia, 1981, et al.
(author)
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A Systemic Overview of Factors Affecting the Cognitive Performance of Industrial Manual Assembly Workers
- 2021
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In: Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems. - Cham : Springer International Publishing. - 2367-3389 .- 2367-3370. ; 221 LNNS, s. 371-381
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In paced assembly lines, cognitive processing is required from assembly workers to perform correct and timely assembly of complex products with varying specifications. This interview study involving 75 industrial assemblers, design- and manufacturing engineers explores how assemblers’ cognitive performance is influenced by multiple factors within the contexts of product design, production setup and assembly. Our results indicate that both positive and negative effects on assemblers’ cognitive performance can stem from task design, timing, physical loading demands, extrinsic motivation factors, teamwork and the assembly “interface” design. Among design- and manufacturing engineers, two mindsets emerged: (i) a product-centred mindset relying on assemblers having sufficient experience, knowledge, and assembly instructions, (ii) an assembler-focused mindset characterised by an iterative and collaborative development process to ensure easy-to-assemble solutions, and avoid errors, delays and costly re-work. Despite organizational differences and conditions between the companies that took part in the study, the results are largely consistent.
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| 28. |
- Berlin, Cecilia, 1981, et al.
(author)
-
COREQ checklist for the research project PreKo, 2018-2021
- 2021
-
Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- For the research project “A Model for predictive assessment of cognitive workload – PreKo”, we (the researchers) have completed a COREQ (Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Studies) checklist to transparently convey the research project’s study design in detail, with regard to the multi-case interview study that was carried out in the project.
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| 29. |
- Berlin, Cecilia, 1981, et al.
(author)
-
Development of a stakeholder identification and analysis method for human factors integration in work system design interventions – Change Agent Infrastructure
- 2022
-
In: Human Factors and Ergonomics In Manufacturing. - : Wiley. - 1520-6564 .- 1090-8471. ; 32:1, s. 151-170
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In any work system design intervention—for example, a physical workplace redesign, a work process change, or an equipment upgrade—it is often emphasized how important it is to involve stakeholders in the process of analysis and design, to gain their perspectives as input to the development, and ensure their future acceptance of the solution. While the users of an artifact or workplace are most often regarded as being the most important stakeholders in a design intervention, in a work‐system context there may be additional influential stakeholders who influence and negotiate the design intervention's outcomes, resource allocation, requirements, and implementation. Literature shows that it is uncommon for empirical ergonomics and human factors (EHF) research to apply and report the use of any structured stakeholder identification method at all, leading to ad‐hoc selections of whom to consider important. Conversely, other research fields offer a plethora of stakeholder identification and analysis methods, few of which seem to have been adopted in the EHF context. This article presents the development of a structured method for identification, classification, and qualitative analysis of stakeholders in EHF‐related work system design intervention. It describes the method's EHF-related theoretical underpinnings, lessons learned from four use cases, and the incremental development of the method that has resulted in the current method procedure and visualization aids. The method, called Change Agent Infrastructure (abbreviated CHAI), has a mainly macroergonomic purpose, set on increasing the understanding of sociotechnical interactions that create the conditions for work system design intervention, and facilitating participative efforts.
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| 30. |
- Berlin, Cecilia, 1981, et al.
(author)
-
Fysisk arbetsmiljö för hälsa, välmående och prestation
- 2020
-
Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Denna rapport har till syfte att ge en kunskaps-översikt över tillgänglig forskning på temat ”Fysisk arbetsmiljö för hälsa, välmående och prestation”. Kunskapsöversiktens innehåll fokuserar på hur en frisk och välmående fysisk arbetsplats utformas, för att ge förutsättningar för god arbetsprestation parallellt med hög grad av välmående. Rapporten är avsiktligen vinklad bort från problemfokuserad litteratur om skaderisker, likaså om insatser för hälsopromotion som syftar till att individen tar ett större eget ansvar för att öka sin fysiska aktivitet eller ändring av livsstil. Istället riktas fokus mot friskfaktorer som härrör från en väl genomtänkt och avsiktlig formgivning (design) av arbetsplatsen, både i form av layout och dess ingående tekniska lösningar (exempelvis utrustningar, möbler med mera). Översikten inkluderar till stor del litteratur från ergonomi- och design-fältet, i syfte att betona kunskap om den avsiktligt formgivna arbetsmiljön och dess ingående designparametrar. En systematisk litteratursökning har genomförts med sökning i två databaser, Scopus och Web of Science. Till en början identifierades 4299 sökträffar som uppfyllde sökkriterierna. Efter sållning, granskning av abstracts och kvalitetsutvärdering av 446 fulltexter inkluderades och kategoriserades till slut 317 artiklar i två huvudsakliga kategorier: 196 primär- och litteraturstudier om fysisk belastning på arbetsplatser, samt 121 designprocessorienterade artiklar vars innehåll ger råd om, vägleder och organiserar formgivningen av en hälsosam och välfungerande fysisk arbetsplats. Kvalitetsgranskning genomfördes på samtliga inkluderade artiklar; empiriska primärstudier utvärderades med McGill Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT), litteraturstudier med Critical Appraisal Skills programmes (CASP) mall för kunskapsöversikter, och den designprocessorienterade litteraturen genomgick en förenklad kvalitetsgranskning med specialanpassad mall. Den inkluderade kunskapen spänner över många olika studietyper, metodansatser, interventionsavsikter och yrkesgrupper. Inom kategorin primär- och litteraturstudier identifierades fältstudier (134), laboratoriska studier (45), enkätbaserade tvärsnittsstudier (53) och litteraturstudier (14). Ett första resultat var att friskfaktorer av olika slag identifierades; dessa uttrycks oftast i form av önskade utfall som är spridda över ett spektrum mellan välbefinnande å ena sidan och prestation å andra sidan, till exempel välmående, nöjdhet, återhämtning, komfort, engagemang, prestation, produktivitet, effektivitet, kreativitet, problemlösning och samarbete. Vissa ”negativt” formulerade utfall är också indikatorer på fysisk belastningsfriskhet, till exempel minskad stress, fysisk belastning, fysisk skaderisk eller felhandling. Som synes håller sig inte alla dessa utfall strikt till den fysiska arbetsmiljön, utan påverkar även kognitiva och organisatoriska friskfaktorer. Resultaten redovisades även indelat i de yrkeskategorier som kunde betraktas som utmärkande i materialet. Den största proportionen av yrkesrelaterad litteratur om friskfaktorer handlar om kunskapsarbete (som domineras av kontorsstudier), följt av studier från vårdsektorn, därefter från industriella tillämpningar (inklusive byggbranschen) och därefter övriga yrken och studier som inkluderar flera yrkeskategorier samtidigt. Den design-processorienterade litteraturen innehåller mycket vägledning i hur arbetsplatser bör utformas generellt för att förbättra friskhet. De flesta studier om designprocesser som ger processrekommendationer om hur utformningsarbetet bör fortlöpa och organiseras rekommenderar en deltagande (participativ) ansats, för att skapa bättre förståelse för medarbetarnas behov och skapa engagemang under designprocessen både för design av arbetsredskap och av arbetsplatser. Det finns dock en del studier som visar att deltagande processer inte alltid leder till önskade effekter. Andra värdefulla bidrag från denna litteraturkategori berör användandet av olika verktyg för simulering och utvärdering samt metoder för att bedöma lämpligheten av arbetsplatsutformningen för specifika grupper av användare. Både arbetsplatsdesign och tekniska produktlösningar för att stödja friskhet på arbetsplatsen har utvärderats av litteraturen. Ett fåtal studier fokuserade på att utvärdera arbetsredskap för olika yrkeskategorier, ofta med belastningsergonomiska och riskkartläggande perspektiv, men även med hänsyn till aspekter som nöjdhet, preferens och användarvänlighet. Andra specifika spår i litteraturen är artiklar om sittande och stående, särskilda arbetskrav och förutsättningar för äldre arbetskraft, återhämtning. Användning av nya teknikutvecklingar i design- och utvärderingsprocesser är en annan trend som syns i litteraturen. Rapporten lyfter fram tre områden som kan bli allt vanligare: robotar som arbetsredskap inklusive hur arbetsfördelning mellan robotar och människor bör ske, användning av bärbar teknologi (wearables) eller rörelseregistrerande teknik (till exempel sensorer och kameror) för aktivitets- och/eller biometrisk mätning och slutligen ökad användning av simuleringar, exempelvis via så kallade digitala tvillingar, för design och underhåll av arbetsplatser. Enligt en kategori studier framhålls att designmässiga arbetsplatsförändringar bör kombineras med utbildning, träning och kunskapskomplettering för att uppnå beteendeförändringar hos användare av arbetsplatsen eller arbetsredskapen, detta för att erhålla de största och mest varaktiga effekterna på hälsa och välmående. Den designprocessorienterade litteraturen gav en rik och varierad vägledning i olika processer, ansatser, verktyg och metoder för hur en friskhetsfrämjande arbetsplatsdesign kan stödjas. Bidragen kan vara vägledande både för individ- och makroperspektiv, det vill säga systemsynen i artiklarna varierar mellan olika systemnivåer och kan vägleda såväl olika processteg som val och utvärdering av specifika utrustningar och layouter samt ge råd för hur en deltagande process som involverar medarbetarna bör gå till. Bland verktygen som beskrivs för dessa ändamål finns metoder, analytiska modeller, mätutrustningar och simuleringstekniker. Denna översikt hade en bred ansats, vilket har visat sig vara både en styrka och en svaghet. Det är svårt att finna klara, allmänna rekommendationer med hänsyn till så många olika specialsammanhang och skilda arbetssystems syften. Även om renodlade studier om enskilda ”friskhetsfrämjande” faktorer finns, är multi-utfallsinriktade ansatser en mycket mer intressant och relevant väg att gå för framtida forskning och utveckling. För att komma längre och djupare med sådana kombinationer av syften, tror författarna att en framgångsfaktor är att begränsa sig till fördjupade studier inom avgränsade yrkesområden, till exempel industri, vård, kunskapsarbete och andra, mer specifika områden som i denna översikt har sammanförts med andra kategorier. En ytterligare rekommenderad fördjupning skulle vara att fokusera på utvärderingar av belastningsreducerande arbetsredskap, särskilt i syfte att vägleda organisationer, arbetsgivare och formgivare i processen att upphandla, välja, införskaffa och implementera utrustning och arbetsredskap. Något som bör beforskas mer är parallella utvärderingar av fysisk och kognitiv (eller mental) arbetsbelastning från samma arbete. Detta är svårt men mycket viktigt att undersöka. Denna studie har även funnit få bidrag som berör tidsrelaterade faktorer som till exempel schemaläggning, rotation med mera, vilka presenterats som strategier för en hälsosammare grad av fysisk belastning i arbetet. En närbesläktad aspekt som vore intressant att undersöka närmare är hur interaktionen med digitala gränssnitt påverkar den fysiska belastningen, då användningen av fler digitala tjänster leder till mer fysisk interaktion med ”smarta” gränssnitt och handhållna/bärbara tekniker både i våra yrken och privat. Vidare identifierade översikten få studier som beskriver misslyckade designprocesser.
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| 31. |
- Cobaleda Cordero, Antonio, 1985, et al.
(author)
-
Design for user experience of control with flexible office environments - explorative user tests with prototypes
- 2023
-
In: International Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics. - 2045-7804 .- 2045-7812. ; 10:2, s. 165-186
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The study addresses the prototyping, user testing, re-design, and re-testing of an office furniture concept following a research through design approach. The concept was intended to enable a positive user experience of control over sound stimuli and related distractions in flexible offices. The aims were: (i) to explore design opportunities in relation to experience of control; and (ii) to gain a deeper understaning of how to design for such positive experiences. The results show a limited impact on the experience of control over sound stimuli in the offices where the concept was tested, and a noticeable positive effect on control over privacy, visual distraction, and (to a lesser extent) work tasks. In this sense, the concept was meaningful for the users and opened up new opportunities for control over stimuli in flexible offices. The context, temporality of user experiences, and prototype fidelity were the keys to explaining the results.
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| 32. |
- Cobaleda Cordero, Antonio, 1985, et al.
(author)
-
Design for UX in Flexible Offices – Bringing Research and Practice Together
- 2022
-
In: Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems. - Cham : Springer International Publishing. - 2367-3389 .- 2367-3370. ; 223 LNNS, s. 3-11
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A growing number of organisations are relocating from traditional office environments to flexible office environments (FOEs) such as ‘combi’ or ‘activity-based’ offices. Research efforts are being dedicated to understanding the challenges and benefits that these office designs represent. Yet, there is a gap between design research and practice that limits innovations in FOE design and smears the overall user experience at work. This paper addresses the exploration of design opportunities for artefacts and spaces enabling positive user experience (UX) in FOEs together with experts from a relevant European actor in the office furniture sector. First, an explorative workshop was conducted to understand practitioners’ perspective and priorities when designing for FOEs. Findings from previous research work by the authors plus the workshop results were used to propose and discuss four ‘Design for UX’ areas worthy of further exploration. Among these, the UX of control in FOEs was chosen, and a subsequent workshop was conducted to deepen into the matter. The last session concluded with the formulation of a specific UX proposal to be developed in the near future. The value and originality of this paper reside in two aspects: (i) a UX approach that relies on the ‘innovation of meaning’ and splits from a creative problem-solving mainstream; and (ii) a collaboration between user-centered design research and product development practice that enable the alignment of resources and strategies in the benefit of users and innovation.
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| 33. |
- Cobaleda Cordero, Antonio, 1985, et al.
(author)
-
Discrepancies between intended and actual use in Activity-based Flexible Offices - A literature review
- 2017
-
In: NES 2017. 20-23 August 2017. Lund.
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the literature addressing A-FOs, with a focus on use patterns and work conditions. The findings show that A-FOs are not always used as intended: territorial behaviours and nesting habits were recurrent in several studies. In this regard, understanding employees’ job characteristics is essential for optimal configuration of A-FOs, e.g. the type, attributes and number of workspaces. Additionally, employees´ needs, spatial factors and implementation processes require special attention in order to provide supportive office environments.
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| 34. |
- Cobaleda Cordero, Antonio, 1985, et al.
(author)
-
Feel well and do well at work: A post-relocation study on the relationships between employee wellbeing and office landscape
- 2020
-
In: Journal of Corporate Real Estate. - 1463-001X .- 1479-1048. ; 22:2 (Special Issue), s. 113-137
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: This paper aims to investigate employee well-being in relation to office landscapes in a post-relocation context. The aims are to identify spatial attributes of the office landscape that influence employee well-being and underlying contextual factors that explain employee well-being post-relocation. Design/methodology/approach: A mixed-method approach was adopted. The data collection involved 16 semi-structured interviews with employees, an interview with the leading architect of the office renovation, study of a dossier on the renovation project and observations. Findings: Most of the informants experienced the new office landscape positively despite few shortcomings. Spatial attributes were identified that influenced the informants' well-being positively in terms of affects, satisfaction, social relations and environmental mastery. Conversely, negative influences on well-being were also reported regarding affects, satisfaction and environmental mastery. Conflicting views on some of the spatial attributes and contextual factors related to the planning process and the former office landscape were identified. Originality/value: The value of this paper lies in investigating the office landscape at the spatial attributes level, despite office type, and their influence on hedonic and eudaimonic components of employee well-being. The research approach adopted proved its usefulness for in-depth studies of the interrelations between office landscapes and employee well-being.
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| 35. |
- Cobaleda Cordero, Antonio, 1985, et al.
(author)
-
Flexible office, flexible working? A post-relocation study on how and why university employees use a combi-office for their activities at hand.
- 2020
-
In: International Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics. - 2045-7804 .- 2045-7812. ; 7:1, s. 26-54
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study reports on a group of university employees, six months after their relocation from cell-offices into a combi-office. Data from interviews, observations and planning documentation was collected to gain an in-depth understanding of how employees use their office landscape and why. Activity theory was taken as framework for the analysis. The findings show that the new office landscape was perceived to be more flexible and capable of supporting employees’ activities. The overall occupancy was low and backup spaces, such as quiet rooms, were barely used. Matches and mismatches between the employees, their activities and the office were identified that explain the occupancy rates and why spaces such as quiet rooms were unpopular spaces. This paper contributes with rich detail on the use of a flexible office landscape in a university context and shows the usefulness of activity theory in the study of employee-office interactions.
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| 36. |
- Forooraghi, Melina, 1989, et al.
(author)
-
A healthy office and healthy employees: a longitudinal case study with a salutogenic perspective in the context of the physical office environment
- 2022
-
In: Building Research and Information. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1466-4321 .- 0961-3218. ; 50:1-2, s. 134-151
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This two-wave study (time lag of six months and two years post-relocation) investigated ways in which employees’ perceptions of the office environment relate to their perceived health in the long term, drawing on the salutogenic approach to health and the sense of coherence theory (comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness). A mixed-method approach was adopted. The data collection involved semi-structured interviews with employees, plus structured observations. The findings indicate that employees found the office environment less comprehensible and meaningful in Wave 2, while (somewhat) equally manageable. Comprehensibility was influenced by a lack of clear behavioural rules; manageability was influenced by a lack of control over the environment; and meaningfulness was influenced by social environment and lack of personalization. The contextual aspects of the office, including tasks, flexible working culture and the change processes were critical to these findings. This study has demonstrated that negative influences caused by poor design choices do not resolve themselves over time. When there is limited support for one component of sense of coherence, the initial observed benefits wear off and negative influences may spill over into other components. Therefore, office design should be approached with balanced attention to comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness.
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| 37. |
- Forooraghi, Melina, 1989, et al.
(author)
-
Relationship between the design characteristics of activity-based flexible offices and users’ perceptions of privacy and social interactions
- 2023
-
In: Building Research and Information. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1466-4321 .- 0961-3218. ; 51:5, s. 588-604
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Activity-based flexible offices (AFOs) provide a variety of workspaces to meet the need for social interactions and privacy at work. This study investigates the relationship between the design characteristics of AFOs and users’ perceptions of visual and acoustic privacy and social interactions. This case study is based on post-occupancy evaluations in three AFO layouts at a public service organization in Sweden. A mixed-method approach is adopted that combines questionnaires and layout analysis. In general, the results showed that while aesthetics received the highest satisfaction scores, office functionality, task support, storage and visual and acoustic privacy received the lowest ratings. Key design characteristics for AFOs were operationalized, observed and exemplified: zone diversity, proportion, readability, spatial enclosure, sharing ratios and functionality of furniture and tools. These insights may contribute to better-informed decisions about the design characteristics that influence privacy and social interactions in AFOs.
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| 38. |
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| 39. |
- Ljungblad, Sara, 1977, et al.
(author)
-
What Negative Space has to do with Design Fixations in HCI Research
- 2018
-
In: Addressing designed form - demarcating design.. - Kolding : Design School Kolding. - 9788793416321
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Human Computer Interaction (HCI) is a design-oriented research field, articulating and contributing to design knowledge. This research field has its own perspective of what a relevant design solution is or which design methods that are suitable, which does not necessarily match how for example industrial designers would understand or describe design. We aim to extract the core of design as an activity, in order to clarify what design skills may involve. This paper describes design activities, and articulates how negative space as an artistic skill is a prerequisite to achieve re-framing a design situation and to facilitate successful co-creation of wicked design challenges. The notion of negative space is traditionally associated to art and perception, for example used in professional practices in music, art and design. We illustrate how making use of negative space supports avoiding design fixations, and increase the chance of successfully addressing wicked design problems, such as sustainable solutions for societal challenges. We argue that HCI research would benefit from understanding and applying negative space in design challenges and illustrate how this can be done.
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| 40. |
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| 41. |
- Rolfö, Linda, et al.
(author)
-
Policies for sharing workspaces in activity-based flex offices
- 2017
-
In: Organizing for High Performance. ; , s. 339-244
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Policies for maintaining non-territoriality (desk-sharing and clean desk policies) and for maintaining zones with different sound levels vary between activity-based flex offices. Five policies were identified as crucial for making the activity-based office concept work. In cases without explicitly expressed policies employees reported uncertainties and interpretations of how to act in the office.
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| 42. |
- Rolfö, Linda, et al.
(author)
-
Predictors of Preference for the Activity-based Flexible Office
- 2019
-
In: Human Systems Engineering and Design. - Cham : Springer. - 9783030020521 - 9783030020538 ; 876, s. 547-553
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Activity-based Flexible Offices (A-FOs) are implemented with varying degree of success. Employees relocate from cell or open-plan offices, from different organizational backgrounds, varying design and implementation processes, and have different types of work tasks. This study aims at investigating whether preference for the A-FO correlate with these preconditions. The results from Chi-square tests and Spearman’s non-parametric correlation of post-relocation questionnaires distributed to 11 A-FO sites, showed that a high preference for the A-FO correlated strongest with an A-FO preference prior to relocation, being a former open-plan office occupier and with frequent performance of innovation. Low preference for the A-FO correlated with frequent performance of concentration demanding tasks. Working with tasks with high confidentiality did not predict the preference ratings.
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| 43. |
- Wallgren, Pontus, 1971, et al.
(author)
-
How to make advanced online user studies meaningful
- 2021
-
In: Proceedings of the Design Society. - : Cambridge University Press (CUP). - 2732-527X. ; 1, s. 1787-1796
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- It is of vital importance to explore and understand future users' needs and requirements in the early phases of the product development process. However, in times of social distancing meeting users might not be possible. The project reported on in this paper has investigated the possibilities of conducting advanced user studies online. In total 30 small experimental studies have been conducted. Common digital tools that were used were e.g. Zoom, Teams, Mural, Miro, Snapchat, and Instagram. The data was analyzed in a thematic content analysis by the authors on Mural. Identified challenges were excluding not tech-savvy user groups, missing out on interpersonal interaction and observations, as well as difficulties creating participant commitment and trust. On the positive side were perceived efficiency, a more levelled power distribution between participants, and ease of engagement and data retrieval for tech-savvy users. Identified best practices included lowering social barriers through warm up activities and techniques to support open discussion during workshops. Furthermore, engagement could be supported through private social media groups, regular reminders, as well as clear communication of purpose and goal of the activities.
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| 44. |
- Wollter Bergman, Matilda, 1991, et al.
(author)
-
Cognitive Ergonomics of Assembly Work from a Job Demands–Resources Perspective: Three Qualitative Case Studies
- 2021
-
In: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI AG. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 18:23
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In manufacturing companies, cognitive processing is required from assembly workers to perform correct and timely assembly of complex products, often with varied specifications and high quality demands. This paper explores assembly operators’ perceptions of cognitive/mental workload to provide a holistic understanding of the work conditions that affect cognitive demands and performance. While the physical loading aspects of assembly work are well known, most empirical literature dealing with cognitive/mental loading in manufacturing tends to examine a few particular aspects, rather than address the issue with a holistic system view. This semi-structured interview study, involving 50 industrial assembly operators from three Swedish companies, explores how assemblers perceive that their cognitive performance and well-being is influenced by a wide variety of factors within the context of mechanical product assembly. The interview transcripts were analysed using a priori coding, followed by bottom-up Thematic Analysis. The results indicate that a variety of systemic effects on assemblers’ cognitive performance can be classified as job demands or resources. Quite often, the absence of a resource mirrors a related demand, and “good assembly conditions”, as described by the interviewees, often re-frame demands as desirable challenges that foster motivation and positive feelings towards the work. The identified demands and resources stem from task design, timing, physical loading, intrinsic and extrinsic motivators, social teamwork and the product’s “interface” design. Despite organisational differences and conditions between the three companies that took part in the study, the results are largely consistent.
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