BluWave:
In today’s hybrid work environment, the office has become more than just a place to work—it’s where we seek connection and a sense of belonging.
But with the shift to flexible work, many employees feel disconnected and isolated, missing out on spontaneous interactions and engaging spaces.
Enhancing the Hybrid Office Experience
Overview:
BluWave is a holistic solution designed to enhance the office experience for hybrid workers, aiming to make the workplace more engaging, interactive, and personalized. Through expert interviews and in-depth research, we identified key areas where the typical office environment could be improved.
Project Type
Academic/Student Project - CCA MDES Experience Class
Experience and Service Design
Project Date
May - August 2024
My Role
Experience Mapping; Service Blueprint Creation; User Research
Teammate
Rhea Pathak Nawaz
What if the office could help you stay productive while also offering moments of relaxation and meaningful connection to keep you energized throughout the day?
Key Insights:
Next Steps:
The next phase for BlueWave would involve testing these features in a real office environment, and gathering feedback on the impact of these interventions. We’d refine the scheduling and break features to better suit different types of workdays, ensuring the system supports productivity while enhancing well-being.
Problem Statement:
How might we create an experience that helps employees, whether they are in the office or working remotely, balance their workday by encouraging meaningful breaks and connections?
Designing the Future Experience
Lessons Learned:
The concept of “map as a verb” changed my approach to design, making mapping an ongoing process. This project honed my skills in experience mapping and taught me to view design from a holistic perspective.
Prototyping & Service Blueprint
I developed a detailed service blueprint to ensure every aspect of the user journey was considered. This included both the frontstage (user-facing) and backstage (supporting processes) elements, ensuring a cohesive experience.
Julia receives a notification that her cat sticker is featured in the café.
She also checks community polls in Echo.
Rhea checks her calendar and books a personalized Oasis session for 12:30 PM
Julia uses the calendar desktop version to schedule a Meet with Rhea later today at 4pm.
Rhea enjoys her immersive Oasis experience in the office.
Julia takes a break to participate in a virtual Oasis session from home
Rhea visits the café, collects Julia’s cat sticker, and votes on the weekly poll.
Julia and Rhea joined for a virtual catch-up, deepening their connection despite the hybrid setting.
More Research & Mapping
We conducted field trips to companies like Airbnb and Crunchyroll. Observing these spaces revealed key insights about “between” times and decision-making delays. I created a current state map to visualize the flow of a typical workday, highlighting opportunities for improvement.
A Day in the BluWave Experience:
Julia
Work Remotely
Often felt disconnected from the team.
Struggled to maintain a work-life balance while managing remote work challenges.
Faced difficulties in finding quiet spaces to relax.
Felt overwhelmed by constant office distractions and a lack of spontaneous social interactions.
Rhea
Work On-Site
Unused Moments
Opportunities to enhance engagement during downtime.
Rigid Scheduling
Calendar-based decision-making limits spontaneity.
Need for Interaction
A lack of low-effort social opportunities.
Key Features and Highlights:
Oasis
A private, customizable space for onsite workers to unwind. Remote workers receive app notifications reminding them to take breaks, helping everyone recharge. Personalize the experience with themes like “Forest” or “Beach.”
Echo
Submit pet photos to create fun stickers displayed in the office café. Both remote and onsite employees can vote in weekly polls, fostering a sense of community. Results are shared to keep everyone connected.
Meet
Easily schedule coffee or lunch meet-ups with colleagues. Whether you’re in the office or working remotely, see who’s available and open to connecting. Strengthen team bonds through casual, spontaneous interactions.
Oasis
A private, customizable relaxation space for employees.
Echo
Platform for weekly activities in the office like sharing pet pictures, stickers, and participating in polls.
Meet
Social scheduling feature for spontaneous coffee or lunch meetings.
Research Methods:
Surveys
Distributed to a diverse group of employees (onsite, hybrid, remote) to gather initial quantitative data.
Interviews
Conducted 6 in-depth interviews with selected participants to gain qualitative insights. And 2 experts interviews with airbnb office space designers.
Shadowing
Observed 2 employees in their work environment for three hours
Campus Workshops
21 CCA students.
The spontaneous interactions that happen in break areas are missing.
-Iris (Working remotely)
See my other projects...
Lack of Spontaneity
Employees miss spontaneous interactions in a structured office environment.
Unused Downtime
“Between” times in the office, like breaks and idle moments, represent opportunities for engagement.
Calendar-Centric Decisions
Employees often base decisions solely on calendar availability, limiting spontaneity and social interaction.