No matter where you work these days—in an office, at home, or wedged in wherever spot you can find—are there ways to design your space for the better?
00:00 WFH is here to stay
01:00 Meet Elyse Ayoung
02:11 Does this serve a purpose?
03:31 Throw out expectations
04:31 Don't shop, shift!
04:57 Office transformation!
05:30 Rethink the future of offices
Many of us long to create a personal environment that’s conducive to getting our work done well (and comfortably so). But how should we think about what goes into an “optimal” work space? What are simple yet effective design principles that help us prioritize what needs to change? And how could this impact our workspaces (including home and traditional offices) in the future?
I sought answers from Elyse Ayoung—an Associate Designer at architecture firm Gensler and Co-Founder of the MiD Collective, a professional network for BIPOC Interior Designers in Boston and beyond. If you’re feeling inspired to change up your workspace but unsure where to start, Elyse suggests prioritizing “purposeful” design choices (however you choose to define it), being honest about where and how you do your best work (that “desk job” may not require a desk anymore), and giving yourself permission to test new arrangements (no change needs to be permanent, so why not try it out?).
This video originally published on HBR's Ascend YouTube Channel in September, 2022.
Learn more about Elyse Ayoung’s work:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elyse-ayoung-mid-noma-0394a544/
https://www.elyseayoung.com/
https://www.themidcollective.com/
Produced by Andy Robinson, Christine Liu, Kelsey Alpaio
Video and Editing by Andy Robinson
Animation and Design by Alex Belser and Karen Player
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