Acquiring deeper knowledge of the project's main topics
Acquire deeper knowledge of the project's main topics
Last updated
Acquire deeper knowledge of the project's main topics
Last updated
The second step of the Discovery Phase focused on gaining a comprehensive understanding of the current situation among individuals working and studying at the TQ Building. In order to effectively engage with the contestants and formulate informed questions, it was crucial to acquire a deeper knowledge of the central themes connected to this project: productivity, mind-rest, creativity, and working environment. This chapter presents a summary of my exploration of those topics. This analysis was a pivotal point for continuing with the future steps of the project.
Library: Literature Study
Before getting started on the user research phase, it was important to acquire a better understanding of the link between mind rest, creative mindset, and productivity. Additionally, exploring the impact of the surrounding environment in the working space and identifying effective strategies to foster creativity was critical for the successful execution of my next steps. This literature study provided valuable insights to address some of my key research questions, namely:
In order to address the research question effectively, I needed to examine the topics separately. Exploring the topic required the creation of a series of sub-questions. The following subtopics were investigated to gain a deeper understanding:
It is often defined that creativity is needed only when the outcome of the process is part of the creative medium. Because of that, I needed to understand if creativity encouragement is even required in the sphere of ICT. My findings concluded that creative thinking is used to approach a problem in different ways in order to create a solution. It goes further than just the creative industry ~ (Wooll, 2021). As ICT requires constant brainstorming that leads to innovative out-of-the-box solutions, creative thinking is used daily in ICT ~ (Dibble & Baird, 2021). Therefore, the lack of creative thinking can lead to a decrease in productivity feel too. Having those findings in mind, it is safe to say that a creative mindset indeed should be fostered in the working environment of Fontys TQ.
In my research, I have used different literature sources to explicate the benefits on the mind when the brain is having rest time. Mind rest provides the brain with an opportunity to process new information, facilitating better memory retention and learning. By taking breaks, individuals can prevent mental fatigue and restore mental energy, leading to improved performance and well-being ~ (Jabr, 2013). Additionally, mind rest has been shown to enhance creativity. Moreover, both the effects of vacation and more manageable mind rest during the day are examined, with the leading conclusion that small breaks during the working day are just as beneficial and important as regular vacations spread throughout the year ~ (Alammyan, 2020). Therefore, that means that the well-being, creativity, and productivity feel of the people at Fontys TQ can be stimulated by adding more downtime during the working day.
The surrounding environment affects productivity in multiple ways. Alongside well-established variables such as noise levels, temperature, and lighting, the openness of a workspace plays a crucial role in shaping the dynamics between people. In open-spaced working areas, individuals tend to exhibit lower levels of social interaction due to reduced privacy. ~ (Burke & Zettler, 2022)
Another noteworthy aspect of my research covers the building archetypes that correspond to different worker profiles. They can be categorized into four main groups - Dwellers (predominantly office-based), Nomads (splitting their time between office and home, with a need for socializing during free time), Hybrids (combining work from both home and office, seeking a balance between collaborative and quiet, concentrated workspaces), and Remotes (primarily working from home, desiring connectivity even in a digital setting). Understanding the various types of workers and their needs benefited in understanding better the Fontys TQ inhabitants when conducting my user study. ~ (Woltjer, 2022)
After gaining knowledge of other mentioned research topics, I examined the strategies that could stimulate a creative mindset. As clearly mind rest plays a huge role in an individual's working performance, I explored the strategies for taking a more efficient break during the working day.
Firstly, break consistency plays a huge role. The majority of people deeply concentrate on a task for no more than 60-90 minutes. After that, a short break is required in order for the mind's freshness to be retained throughout the whole working day. The image below is representing the change in productivity state of mind over time (top to bottom) with and without frequent breaks. While the left side shows how without breaks the state of mind decreases and reaches a critical exhaustion level (red), the right side displays how often breaks keep the productivity state quite similar. ~ (Jabr, 2013)
Break frequency is merely a fraction of the equation as the nature of the activity conducted during breaks holds equal significance. Break activities can be categorized into two main groups - Unproductive and Effective.
Unproductive breaks are highly stimulating and addictive activities that do not let the mind rest. Such examples are social media use, reading news articles, watching a streaming service, etc. On the other hand, Effective breaks are types of rest that require movement, change of location, and overall give the brain time to rewind. For instance, making an average, staring out of a window, stretching, short walking, doodling, napping, socializing, etc are all activities that give the brain opportunity to rest. ~ (deprocrastination.co, n.d)
Based on the acquired knowledge, another effective approach to fostering creativity involves modeling the surrounding working environment. Corporations use various strategies such as providing diverse work posture stations, showcasing research findings, and establishing dedicated spaces for relaxation or brainstorming. These initiatives aim to promote enhanced collaboration and socialization among coworkers. As I have already noted socialization not only serves as an effective break strategy but is also desired by different work archetypes. In conclusion, implementing adjustments to the working environment can lead to great benefits in improving the well-being and productivity of individuals at TQ. ~ (Burke & Zettler, 2022)
In conclusion, the collected insights at this step of the project had given valuable insight into the main topics of my assignment. The research done until this point had given me enough information to create well-formulated (and informed questions) for my User Study, based on the following topics:
Contrary to the major beliefs, the types of creative thinking go beyond the artistic mediums and are finding huge use in problem-solving fields, ICT included. Therefore, the creative mindset of the inhabitants of Fontys ICT at the TQ Building location can be a major factor in their productivity.
The mental energy state is also tightly connected to productivity. Regular downtime is an important factor for keeping happiness and optimal usage of the brain.
The surrounding environment can both increase and decrease the individual's productivity and well-being. The worker archetypes should be kept into consideration for the adjustments a working space should have.
Fostering creativity can be achieved by techniques such as often downtime, effective breaks, and a suitable surrounding environment. An OIL building (open environment) should provide the needed variations of social and private locations in order to keep the willingness of the inhabitants to socialize.
The full results of the library research could be found in the Library Research Report.
Next, I needed to define informed questions (based on my findings) that give me an insight into the working routines of the TQ Building Inhabitants.
