Research Design Connection: Connecting While Coworking

Mandeno and Baxter conducted interviews with people who have worked at coworking locations for at least three months to learn more about connections forged between people using these worksites. One of the barriers to human connectivity identified was atmosphere, “an all-encompassing barrier that refers to aspects of the physical space that may hinder the process of connecting. Participants mentioned everything from seating to lighting…to the coffee space…to spaces feeling cheap…claustrophobic…and lacking privacy…As well as the basic requirements of comfort and safety, balance must be struck between creating spaces in which coworkers naturally bump into each other and that also afford privacy and intimacy. Because of the diversity of members occupying most coworking spaces, designers should be cautious of applying the same rules that guide the design of traditional office spaces…coworking settings are unique, and greater effort is required to enable social normal and collegiate work to take place, supported by more successful interactions (Buchanan, 2010).”

  1. Mandeno and W. Baxter. 2020. “Barriers to Human Connectivity and the Design of More Collaborative Coworking Spaces.” International Design Conference- Design 2020, pp. 1475-1484, https://doi.org/10.1017/dsd.2020.142

Sally Augustin, PhD, a cognitive scientist, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesignconnections.com), a monthly subscription newsletter and free daily blog, where recent and classic research in the social, design, and physical sciences that can inform designers’ work are presented in straightforward language. Readers learn about the latest research findings immediately, before they’re available elsewhere. Sally, who is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, is also the author of Place Advantage: Applied Psychology for Interior Architecture (Wiley, 2009) and, with Cindy Coleman, The Designer’s Guide to Doing Research: Applying Knowledge to Inform Design (Wiley, 2012). She is a principal at Design With Science (www.designwithscience.com) and can be reached at sallyaugustin@designwithscience.com.