User Experience and Interiors

When people walk into an office, they consume the space contrastingly differently from the way architects/ interior designers understand it.

I asked a couple of interior designers / architects to design our office space. Here is what I went through:

-  Some looked at the space and said ‘its Lilliputian’ – we can accommodate 8 work stations.

-  Some did not apprehend the concept of open office with no cabins (They thought an office is unpolished without cabins!!).


-  One interior designer said that he needs to break the ceiling because the current ceiling does not give enough light.

When I was tired of their advices, the User Experience designer in me thought of taking the onus of design on me.

What we now have is an office with 22 work stations with no cabins (except mine ;)). We did not break the ceiling for lighting because our office has natural light which everyone loves. 


Here is some assimilation from this:-         

-  Cramped space..Is it? Yes, it is..It may be a bit tight but everyone snugs and works together. It has led to camaraderie since they are always there for each other and not fortified by dividers.

-  People love natural light. They don’t feel weary like they would in a dingy room lit by tube lights. They look out and feel that there is so much more in office to just DARN COMPUTERS!!

-     No one is a boss since there are no cabins. Everyone respects everyone like they agreeably should.

-  I maintained the mirrors on walls. It’s entertaining to watch people walk into office and look at themselves (and redo their hairstyle). It also helps in turning a gloomy face into a smile since everyone wants to look good at all times.

-  There is glass everywhere which does not mean ‘YOU ARE BEING WATCHED’. It in turn means ‘I AM BEING WATCHED!!’

We all duck into this space when we need to get-away.

Tip for Interior designers – It’s not always what the ergonomics says, sometimes it’s what the users want!!!

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