How Design-Thinking Is Helping Businesses Propagate In 2021

 

Design thinking today encapsulates a fundamental aspect of creative leadership. Visionary entrepreneurs and business people who believe in carving their path instead of following a conventional route rely on design thinking to re-imagine the future.

It demonstrates a way of thinking to solve problems that disregards set processes while prioritizing the consumer’s needs above everything. It is an iterative, hands-on approach to formulating innovative solutions that rely on observational empathy and curiosity towards the way humans interact with their environment.

But this isn’t all that’s making design thinking take the business world by storm!

Design thinking is “human-focused,” which suggests that real evidence of how actual consumers interact with their service offering is applied rather than acting on how an organization “thinks” they will engage with it. To be genuinely human-centred, business owners must observe how people use a product or service and continue to refine it in a way that improves their experience. This is the “lean methodology” aspect of design thinking, favoring moving quickly to get prototypes out to test rather than ongoing research.

In contrast to traditional problem-solving, which is a linear process of identifying a problem and then brainstorming solutions, design thinking only works if it is repetitive. It is less of a means to get to a single solution and more of a way to respond to consumer needs continuously.

But how is this critical to businesses looking to rent a large or private office space post the pandemic?

We often find that when organizations look to renting private office spaces, the conversation around is rooted in the wrong direction, beginning with the furniture or the room itself rather than what the office space can do to enhance the human experience.

This brings us to the central argument- “Do we ever consider what we want our workspaces to do beyond just what we want them to be? The correct emphasis should be on thinking about the activities and experiences you as an employer want to create within this private office space and then enable it.

One key lesson here is: coworking spaces are not and rather cannot be designed like traditional offices. You may find multiple private office space options where people and companies interact, often in beneficial ways. These office spaces are built to facilitate community building while still allowing for privacy.

Since it is always centred on humans, this method also ensures that the functional and working environment in a coworking or shared office space meets different users’ expectations. Just the presence of modern furniture and decoration doesn’t necessarily correspond to the end-users. A deep reflection is required, and this is where design thinking comes into its own.

The spaces we occupy profoundly impact our experiences, feelings, psychology, productivity, mood, and creativity. The private office spaces owned by businesses must be set up to facilitate the purpose behind each phase of their operations. A team can truly optimize productivity only when exposed to a space that embraces the mindsets required at every point of the business process.

As they have evolved, coworking spaces have become quite savvy at managing their occupants’ shifting space needs. A hint lies in the architecture. Many coworking spaces utilize these principles of design thinking to delineate spaces as needed by organizations.

For example:

Round tables work great when you want to encourage people to collaborate during ideation and brainstorming sessions – and so does standing up. Ideally, these spaces should be located away from the actual work desks or else this may stifle creativity.

Even without moving the furniture, large shared office spaces can create options for companies that need more space — as flexibly as the need arises.

This shift towards human-centred design and experiences embraced by coworking spaces in recent years is increasingly evident in many organizations shifting to these experientially designed spaces. There are plenty of onsite amenities that rival the splashier startups ....read more

Coworking, Private Offices, Custom Built, Dedicated Desk, Hot Desk, Virtual Offices & Meeting Rooms

We are a growing community of inspired professionals who work in creative & innovative spaces. Our vibrant business ecosystem offers flexible office plans, seamless connectivity and security. We are a contemporary workspace, A playground for minds, a powerhouse for brands.

We are Workafella.

How To Incorporate Mindfulness Into Your Workspace

                              

Work can frequently be fast-paced, chaotic, and stressful, which is why so many people usually take to multitasking, and, consequently, risk running on autopilot to get everything done. Nearly every office worker faces a regular barrage of emails, messages, phone calls, texts, and meetings that pull their focus and attention in multiple directions at once. This can soon turn into an endless loop if every worker’s magic word – Mindfulness – is not introduced.

In its simplest form, mindfulness means awareness and practicing it offers a way to pay attention to the present moment, without judgment. When you train your mind to become increasingly mindful at work, you start to become fully present and in control of taking care of one task at a time. It helps reduce stress and anxiety, increase resilience & improves communication.

Mindfulness in the workplace is a frequently discussed topic among businesses to help reduce stress – a dominant cause of employee disengagement that can also hinder productivity. Based on a study conducted by The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, more than half of the 550 million working days lost every year from absenteeism are stress-related.

While these statistics are shocking, the good news is that office environment doesn’t have to be a catalyst for poor mental well-being. It can be literally the opposite, promoting mindfulness and positivity all driven by the idea that – “Better buildings can lead to healthier people”.

Whether you work from office full-time or even from a flexible shared office space, creating a mindful workspace can make you much more focused and energetic. This is why it’s so essential to establish or look out for an environment conducive for you to knuckle down and do your work.

In other words, gearing your space to promote mindful working can have tremendous benefits for your job performance and directly affect the bottom line of your company.

While there are numerous ways to incorporate mindfulness into the workplace, employers must first set sight at the physical office environment they have created for their employees. Alternatively, this could be a way of looking at reputed fully furnished office spaces for rent and ensuring these elements are fit in.

Keeping that in mind, here are three simple solutions to look out for, so you are fully present and engaged:

1. Easy Furniture

Office furniture is one of the primary influencers of mental health within the workplace. It won’t come as a shock to know that the human body isn’t designed to be sitting down for 8 hours a day. Combine this with poor posture and ineffective furniture, the effects are pretty negative.

Check to see whether your shared space has standing desks and ergonomic task chairs. An additional benefit is furnishings “closer-to-home” such as sofas and coffee tables to provide employees with different seating options.

This allows posture to be varied throughout the day and encourages you to get up and move around whilst making the office feel more like home and promoting a more relaxed atmosphere.

2. Create A Space For Employees To Unwind

The term “meditate” can be used interchangeably with any other number of verbs – decompress, unwind, regroup. What’s important is the facilitation of your space that is conducive to doing so.

One of the fundamental principles of mindful office design is creating the ability to escape the stress and distractions of the typical workspace by focusing on the present moment. A designated quiet space will allow employees to practice mindfulness in whatever capacity they see fit – from breathing to eating to being actively mindful of the peace.

In a serviced office space, this might look like intuitively designed breakout rooms.

3. Create Calming Spaces

A calming space can be as simple as the materials, textures, colours, lighting, and views. Spaces that provide ample natural light can have a calming effect on the mind. A mix of materials – like wood, “green walls” and exposed brick – mixed with calming colours in décor and the right textiles on furniture can make a designated workspace into a welcome retreat within the office. ....read more

Coworking, Private Offices, Custom Built, Dedicated Desk, Hot Desk, Virtual Offices & Meeting Rooms

We are a growing community of inspired professionals who work in creative & innovative spaces. Our vibrant business ecosystem offers flexible office plans, seamless connectivity and security. We are a contemporary workspace, A playground for minds, a powerhouse for brands.

We are Workafella.

Productivity Hacks for the Multi-tasking Entrepreneur!

Entrepreneurs are always extremely cautious about spending two things – money and time. Since entrepreneurs have to wear multiple hats, juggle numerous vital roles and lead an organization all at the same time.

A typical day could look like back-to-back meetings, hundreds of emails, and tackling an ever-growing to-do list. Keeping on top of day-to-day tasks is challenging, and it is near impossible to set aside time for strategic thinking.

Sure, a cup of coffee will kick in with the caffeine you need. But how do successful entrepreneurs find the time to work on their business strategy, publish books, regularly speak at conferences, and run high growth, successful businesses?

Below are a few of the best productivity hacks to get you doing more and maximize personal impact:

1. A Workspace That Works For You

This seems like an old tune on repeat, but there’s a solid reason why this is taken as the golden rule. All entrepreneurs have a lot they need to complete, and just thinking about it is overwhelming.

It begins as soon as you step into your workspace at the beginning of every week. Your workspace, where you spend the major part of your day, must be the first area which is set up for success.

Most commercial spaces for rent provide dynamic fully-furnished workspaces that are clutter-free, with the essential business amenities on hand for easy access. These spaces are also available as plug and play offices. Then create a simple weekly plan focusing on listing the key objectives to be accomplished and check how those activities tie back to achieving the goals listed for the week. You’re already off to a great start!

2. Delegation Is Critical!

Most entrepreneurs generally spend way too much time on things they shouldn’t be doing and then feeling overspent. The only way to solve this problem is to get good at automation (using systems to replace your work) and delegating (hiring people or services to do your work).

Delegation helps to keep your plate clean while helping your organization operate smoothly. Know when to delegate, delegate to the right people and be as straightforward as possible in all your communication.

Sometimes, your team won’t be equipped enough to execute a specific project that requires specialized skills. In these cases, your shared workspace can be an advantage. There is an untapped pool of talent that works out of these plugs and play establishments that could work as possible outsourcing options.

3. Take Breaks More Often

Entrepreneurs tend to feel guilty and mask it as “I’m too busy to take a break”, but the reality is breaks are good for your brain. They enable you to feel better rested, improve your focus and boost your mood, all at the same time.

Take a well-deserved break; and, weirdly enough, you’ll get more done. If you’ve taken up a workspace with a shared office space provider, then most likely you may find wellness rooms and aesthetically designed break out areas to relieve stress. Spend a few minutes of your day there — and dedicate that time to unwind.

4. Reduce Perfectionist Tendencies.

Entrepreneurs need to be creative and driven by analytics, and in most high-paced industries, these characteristics tend to bring out perfectionist tendencies in the best of people. Generally, this appears good — it means your work is of a higher calibre — but it can also interfere with your ability to complete tasks.

As a perfectionist, you like to set high standards for yourself. Your to-do list is long and ambitious. You probably want to delete and add things and midway through you drop the whole list altogether and start again.

Putting too much on your plate is a typical self-sabotaging technique. Try not to over-stress about the little things. Perfection is considered the enemy of progress.

5. Multitasking, Possibly A Myth?

Some ride the hamster wheel. Some claim you’re exceptional at it. A skill to be admired. But what do experts say?

Smart Simple Marketing published a study that quotes “multitasking leads to as much as a 40% drop in productivity.”

And this is because, every time you switch between tasks ....read more

Coworking, Private Offices, Custom Built, Dedicated Desk, Hot Desk, Virtual Offices & Meeting Rooms

We are a growing community of inspired professionals who work in creative & innovative spaces. Our vibrant business ecosystem offers flexible office plans, seamless connectivity and security. We are a contemporary workspace, A playground for minds, a powerhouse for brands.

We are Workafella.