Research Design Connections: Spaces for Creative Thought

Needle and Mallia probe the sorts of workplaces that support creative employees.  They report that “Open-office plans have become the dominant mode for creative workplaces, designed to encourage collaboration.  This [study surveys] people working in advertising and the creative industries, assessing perceptions of productivity and satisfaction with work environment. A majority of respondents yearned for solitude to complete certain tasks. Findings suggest that open-office environments may indeed undermine creative productivity, not just among introverts, but others as well.”

Rose Needle and K. Mallia. “Creatives in the Office: Personality and the Environmental Effects of Workspace.”  Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, in press, https://doi.org/10.1080/10641734.2020.1770144

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.