Research Design Connections: Fresh Insights:  Workspace Type

Goel and colleagues evaluated workers’ experiences in various sorts of workspaces.  They report that “Data from 225 office workers were collected for perceived fatigue, perceived sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI]), physiological stress response (standard deviation of heart rate variability [HRV]), and physical activity (total activity in minutes) during three consecutive workdays. Stress and physical activity were measured using chest-worn sensors. Workers were then categorized as tired or not-tired based on the median of the fatigue rating.  Among tired workers, open-bench seating workers had increased physical activity, improved sleep quality, and reduced stress compared with workers in private offices and cubicles.  Office workstation types influence physical activity and levels of stress during work hours, which in turn affect sleep quality.”

Rahul Goel, Alan Pham, Hung Nguyen, Casey Lindberg, Brian Gilligan, Matthias Mehl, Judith Heerwagen, Kevin Kampschroer, Esther Sternberg, Bijan Najafi, and the Wellbuilt for Wellbeing Team. 2021. “Effect of Workstation Type on the Relationship Between Fatigue, Physical Activity, Stress, and Sleep.”  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, vol. 63, no. 3, pp. e103-e110, doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000002108

Sally Augustin, PhD, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesignconnections.com).  Research Design Connections reports on research conducted by social and physical scientists that designers can apply in practice.  Insights derived from recent studies are integrated with classic, still relevant findings in concise, powerful articles.  Topics covered range from the cognitive, emotional, and physiological implications of sensory and other physical experiences to the alignment of culture, personality, and design, among others.   Information, in everyday language, is shared in a monthly subscription newsletter, an archive of thousands of published articles, and a free daily blog.   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.