Date of Award
Summer 6-2-2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Industrial Design
Department
Industrial Design
First Advisor
Tom Weis, Hillel O'Leary
Second Advisor
Joy Ko
Third Advisor
Fletcher Bach
Abstract
After COVID-19 hit, a new working method has appeared, the remote workers have an opportunity sitting at home attending zoom meetings and getting job done. While companies initially turned to remote work out of necessity, they soon realized that employees could remain productive while working from home. As the world began to reopen, many companies chose to continue with hybrid or fully remote working situations.
However, hybrid work has created challenges for maintaining a sense of collaboration and connection. Can this discomfort caused by telecommunication be solved by new tech involved? Designers are currently exploring various products and devices to help individuals recreate an office environment at home. While successful designs are emerging and helping companies restore productivity. But for soft work, those moments where people would run into a colleague on the way to the bathroom, and catch up about their weekend, or stop by someone’s desk to try out a new idea on them, these serendipitous encounters are lost, and the sense of connection and collaboration that they foster is more difficult to cultivate.
This book examines the psychological and industrial historical perspective on the benefits people derive from work. It utilizes user research and discussion sessions to explore the evolving needs of individuals in response to changing work styles. The book concludes by summarizing contemporary design efforts and experimental design attempts by designer herself in the field of telecommunications.
Recommended Citation
Sun, Ray, "How to make a hybrid workplace more human?" (2023). Masters Theses. 1179.
https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/masterstheses/1179
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Included in
Community Psychology Commons, Experimental Analysis of Behavior Commons, Social Work Commons