Concurrents – Environmental Psychology: …Bored?
Recently I heard about a group of office workers who were bored by their current assignments. I was surprised to hear this ennui being discussed so directly, at least in the U.S., because here we seem to like to think everyone in an office building is doing stimulating, thought-provoking knowledge work – even though we know that this is not actually the case. Talking about bored employees is a lot like telling someone that their new haircut is awful; it’s just not done except among the very, very closest of friends. Cognitive science research consistently shows that when we’re doing work that’s mentally boring, we perform best when the space we’re in is energizing, and, vice versa, mentally challenging work is best done in calming environments. Design can be used to enhance how well less mentally challenging work is executed. But first, the design research process must identify employee groups …
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