The success of Marie Kondo’s Netflix streaming series “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” shows just how burdened many people are by their stuff. It seems inevitable that the combined popularity of Kondo’s series and the drive to move forward with spring cleaning goals means many workplaces are currently being “tidied up.”
Tidying up is, in technical psych terms, an attempt to bring visual complexity down to moderate levels; high levels of visual complexity are present in cluttered spaces. When people experience moderate visual complexity, there are all sorts of positive repercussions. Moderate visual complexity is not only what is preferred, but has also been tied to environmental satisfaction generally. Higher levels of complexity, as in cluttered areas, not only make people feel stressed but also degrade professional performance as well as mood – and when we’re in a more positive mood, we’re better at problem solving, creative thinking, and getting along with others.
Just as being in a place that has too much going on visually is stressful, so is being in an area that is stark and has low levels of visual complexity.
Visual complexity is determined by the number of different colors and shapes, symmetry, etc., in a space. Interiors of homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright generally have moderate visual complexity; images of Frank Lloyd Wright interiors are readily available online, if you’d like to peruse them from a visual complexity perspective.
Comparing the visual complexity of any particular environment being analyzed to that of one of these residential interiors is a quick, effective way to assess the visual demands made by a space. In workplaces where people need to be able to access tools, etc., that may increase visual complexity levels, it’s particularly important to provide storage cabinets, etc., faced with solid surfaces that block views of their contents.
Tidying up at work is top-of-mind in many workplaces, and giving people the tools they need to manage visual complexity –as well as considering visual complexity during the design process itself when carpeting, wall covers, surface textures, upholstery, etc. are being selected – can make time spent at work a more positive experience.
“Why We Can’t All Get Away with Wearing Design Clothes.” 2019. KelloggInsight, http://bit.ly/2v52yD9
Sally Augustin, PhD, is the editor of Research Design Connections(www.researchdesignconnections.com).Research Design Connectionsreports 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.