The TQ Building Problems

First discoveries of the problems that the TQ building users are facing when working at location.

Used Research Methods:

Relevant Research Questions:

• How do the inhabitants of the TQ experience their current working days in the given environment?

At the beginning of the internship, I did not have a structured overview of the building problems. My idea of making a more creative-looking environment at the TQ building was chosen mainly because I had the personal feeling that the floors are looking boring and uninspiring. Lead by my personal passion and thoughts I had ideated in the direction of creating an interactive installation because I found it an intriguing twist between art and technology that might suit the TQ Building character. However, I needed to take a step back and first discover what my users actually need (as even though I am a student at Fontys, I cannot be sure that my needs align with the needs of my users).

example of interactive installation

⚙️Process

Field: Document Analysis

I began my research by getting relevant information about the problems at the building that my client is aware of. A survey that has been spread out was shared with me so that I get an initial idea of the problems the TQ building users are facing. The survey has been spread in the TQ building on 3 floors and has covered an overall of 54 answers (both teachers and students from different studies). The survey has covered the topic of the look and feel of the building. Based on some of the answers, I could see that quite some people find the building boring and they want more color happening around. People stated they want - "Creatie, kleurrijk", "Meer vrijheid, meer co-creatie, meer energie", etc. Full survey results here

survey results shared with me

Field: Co-Creation On top of the survey, I did some collaborative work with a Korean exchange students group. The students had a Pressure Cooker of 2 weeks to go through the whole Double Diamond with the same goal of creating a prototype that suits the project Building Attention. My task during this Pressure Cooker was to not only observe their findings and personal struggles with the building as newcomers but also to think along and ask critical questions so that both they and I can get the best information out of those experiences.

Korean students observation

✅ Results

As a result of my above-stated actions, I was able to lay down 2 main groups of the problems of the TQ Building - "Inspiration and creativity" and "Practical problems".

1. "Inspiration and Creativity" covers the topic of the building looking bland and boring. On the right corner of the visual, I have attached an image of the survey stating that people want more colour and a less boring environment. People might benefit from the following improvements:

   1. Have more creative spaces

   2. Building personalization (floors/desks)

   3. Use the building to promote more rests

   4. More separation for the areas for ideation/rest

2. "Practical Problems" - Problems like sound levels, unclear navigation, and social interaction in the building (that seemed to be lacking between students). People might benefit from:

   1. More social interaction at the building

   2. More information about people's availability

   3. Better navigation at the building

   4. Better building conditions (sound levels, temperature data, etc)

mind map problems - iteration #2

👣 Next Steps

Now, structured the problems and have gained a general feeling of what people need, I wanted to focus my next steps on discovering more about Inspiration and Creativity (pink area). As there are quite a few subtopics my plan was to:

• Acquire deeper knowledge of the project's main topics (the relation between mind rest, creative mindset, and productivity?; surrounding environment and well-being, etc)

• Conduct user research about the routines of the TQ Building inhabitants and validate to what extent my current findings are represented in my audience's daily work routine.