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SENSORY PREFERENCES IN OPEN PLAN WORKSPACES

ViVA creating tailored solutions that appreciated a worker's sensory preferences, creating a more inclusive workspace design.

PROJECT LEAD

PROJECT TEAM

Solo

PARTNERED WITH

Sensory Preference Software Assessment

Context

Organisations design open plan office workspaces to encourage collaboration and communication. The designs are often contemporary, economising on workspace to reduce the business costs of the real-estate footprint.

Challenge

A technology development company found that they could not accommodate a programmer’s needs. The worker reported difficulties due to noise and sensory overload, which hindered his performance in a cognitively demanding role. The challenge was to design an environment that supported productivity, accommodating his sensory preferences, without disrupting team collaboration.

Approach

ViVA conducted a comprehensive evaluation, including a sensory profile analysis, environmental noise screening, and job demands assessments. ViVA discovered that the worker’s difficulty in discerning sound against a background of ambient noise, and his extreme sensitivity to visual, thermal, and touch stimuli affected his performance in an open plan environment.

Outcomes

ViVA’s application of sensory processing needs assessment in environmental design helped the organisation resolve a workplace challenge that conventional medical, safety, and workforce strategy teams could not. ViVA provided recommendations including immediate adjustments like ambient lighting changes, and strategies for his manager to support his needs in meetings, mid-term solutions such as solo office workspace and hybrid work options, and long-term strategies like acoustics management in the office design. Short-term changes improved immediate performance, while mid- and long-term adjustments laid the foundation for sustainable, inclusive work environments that satisfy diverse sensory needs.