Degree Type

Creative Component

Semester of Graduation

Spring 2019

Department

Industrial Design

First Major Professor

Steven Herrnstadt

Degree(s)

Master of Industrial Design (MID)

Major(s)

Industrial Design

Abstract

San Francisco and New York City are some of the prime spots for startups to put a foothold in. They are attractive locations and deemed as one of the best technology hubs where entrepreneurs could spearhead their business given the connections and resources the cities provide.

However, being in crowded cities means space comes at a premium. Employers’ desperation for lower real estate costs and increasing need of innovation emphasize constant collaboration, and that significantly impact personal space and privacy in the workplace.

Startups often face spatial challenges as they are trying to make do with the space given the growing rate of employees. The furniture employed consists of just rows of tables along with chairs and nothing else, which means zero consideration is given into understanding how having personal space and privacy could have a positive impact on the quality of work.

There are temporary privacy solutions in the market that uses attachment system that is not flexible to latch well to any existing furniture system, much less able adapt to different needs and working environment, and there are some integrated furniture system in the market that are way too expensive for a startup to afford, given their starting financial resources and expenses.

This thesis begins by exploring the fundamentals of why individuals need personal space and privacy in the workplace, particularly in open office environment and creating solutions that grow with the company.

Copyright Owner

Kenneth Heng Chien Gan

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

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