STBY was asked to carry out service design research to support an initiative aimed at creating a more future-oriented, open and innovative working culture at the The National Institute for Sound and Vision. They are considering a number of scenarios for new ways of using one of the main open spaces in their building. These scenarios involve not only changes to the building’s interior, but also a potential expansion of its program to include new collaborations with external partners.
The creation of a more open and innovative working culture is an objective in which strategy, interior design and organisational culture impact each other in complex ways. STBY’s role was to ensure that the consideration of the different scenarios for the renewal of the space and program of use was grounded in a thorough understanding of the perspectives and expectations of its future users.
Based on input from people with various roles in the Institute, we created three personas and a journey map representing their combined experience. These were subsequently presented in co-creation sessions with staff members and external partners. These sessions produced deeper insight into the existing culture of work, including important gaps and pain points, and the ways in which staff and others experience the building. These insights enabled us to re-frame the problem in more fundamental terms, namely: how to ensure that new scenarios of use support the kinds of contact and exchange from which a more open and innovative culture can grow?
The result is a unique combination of instruments, including a conceptual model of the new space and a journey map illustrating the interactions of both internal staff and external collaborators during a typical working day. In addition, a set of design principles was derived with which the Institute can assess and create proposals for re-design of the space and programs. These will help ensure that as scenario’s are implemented, a new and more innovative working culture emerges that fully engages the Institute’s staff, collaborators and other users.
