Designers represent an important minority at the Confidential Tech Company. Existing workplace guidelines were developed for sales representatives and developers. We found through workshops with the design team that the office space didn’t adequately  facilitate the design process. Working with these highly creative teams, we identified that designers don’t use the space allocated to focus rooms in the WPA 2.0 program.

Together, we discovered that what they really need are pin-up areas, extensive whiteboard walls, charrette, and critique areas – all spaces that support the interactive and iterative character of the design process. We launched the design effort with a user group visioning session that identified a key project goal: do more with less and create a cool, start-up feel that makes an organization of over 260 people feel more like twenty.

We identified strategic KPIs that were “must-haves” and explored the design elements that respond to the desire for a start-up, industrial creative vibe. By trimming out elements that weren’t perceived as important and focusing on real user needs, we successfully created. Through the choice of materials and shapes, we established the qualities of space desired by the Tech Company’s design teams. Unexpected elements distinguish the space as unique to this group, like the old Tech Company logo neon sign we salvaged from the exterior of one of their former buildings.

Realignment of the space enables consolidation of the Tech Company’s design teams. Self-funded by the business unit, the project integrates WPA 2.0 (light) space standards with space types and configurations unique to graphic, audio and industrial design teams. The resulting design achieves the group’s vision through smart repurposing of existing fit-up elements in addition to cost-effective new construction. Our process delivered proof that user-focused design is a cost-saving design. The resulting design solution set a new bar for quality and cost management, bringing the project to 60% below a typical capital budget.