Micro UX: Intertwingle week 2

Brief: Design, make and implement a collaborative working tool. Your task is to design a device, apparatus or set of interactions that reaches across disciplines. Your designed outcome should help people identify synergies and navigate practical issues.

Group members: Marty Chen, Jolin Ma, Mengdie Lu, Romit Khurd, Cristèle Sarić, Lingjia Fang, Munira Kazi, Anushka Motiani, Reagan Bbengo, Sushil Suresh

In our ongoing project, we recognized the importance of gaining first hand insights into office siloed cultures. Collaborating with our partners at DK-CM, we had the opportunity to interview two placemaking officers occupying different positions and levels within organizations. These interviews proved to be immensely valuable in unraveling the diverse dynamics of office silos, shedding light on the intricacies of interactions, hierarchies, and their counter-reactions. In this design blog, we will share the impactful findings from these interviews, highlighting the nuances of office silos and the challenges they present.

Understanding Varied Perspectives: One of our interviewees, a member of a specific council, revealed the profound impact of office silos on their work environment. They described a cold atmosphere and the difficulties in fostering strong co-working relationships due to financial motives that hindered open communication. The interviewee emphasized the exclusivity of collaboration, restricted to specific teams, creating an unapproachable environment. What struck us was their observation that age played a role in exacerbating the reluctance to seek help from more senior co-workers, fearing they would be burdensome and impede their colleagues' limited time and financial incentives. These insights highlighted the complex interplay of factors within office silos, affecting communication and collaboration.

Navigating Delicate Interview Topics: Conducting interviews on sensitive topics required careful consideration. Leading one of the interviews, I adopted a casual approach, establishing a comfortable rapport with our interviewee. This approach proved effective in eliciting an honest perspective on their work culture and impressions. While I had conducted interviews before, this particular one felt slightly daunting, unsure if our questions might risk revealing sensitive information or if the interviewee would be reluctant to share personal experiences. Fortunately, the interview proceeded smoothly.

A Creative Workshop: Complementing the interview questions, we organized a small workshop to further delve into the experiences of our interviewee. We invited them to write a love letter and a breakup letter to their council. This exercise provided a unique opportunity to express their emotions and sentiments towards their workplace. The letters acted as a creative outlet, allowing our interviewee to convey their honest thoughts beyond the structured interview format.

The Power of Insights: Through these interviews and the workshop, we gained invaluable insights into the realities of office siloed cultures. The diverse perspectives provided a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by individuals working within such environments. These firsthand accounts guided us in shaping our design approach, aiming to bridge communication gaps and foster a more collaborative workplace culture.

Observations on Collaboration within the University: Simultaneously, we began exploring strategies to increase collaboration within the university context. We devised activities and workshops aimed at enhancing interactions. One approach involved building relationships with neighboring departments, while another involved a communal board where students could share their favorite songs. Interestingly, while the larger-scale attempt with the communal board received positive engagement from students, the board addressing the neighboring department failed to elicit any interaction, despite student interest observed through reading the posted notes. This observation led us to the realization that interventions on a larger scale, with less direct interpersonal approaches, may be more effective in scenarios heavily influenced by external factors.

Moving Forward: Armed with the valuable insights gained from interviews and observations, we are inspired to design solutions that break down barriers and promote collaboration within office and university settings. By leveraging our understanding of the complexities within siloed cultures, we aim to create interventions that foster open communication, nurture relationships, and transform workplaces into inclusive and supportive environments.

Conclusion: The interviews with placemaking officers provided us with profound insights into the diverse dimensions of office siloed cultures. We gained a deeper understanding of the challenges posed by interactions, hierarchies, and external factors. The workshop and observations within the university context further enriched our knowledge, guiding us towards innovative design solutions.