The Link Between Design and Science.
So, what is evidence-based design? And why is it important?
One of our founding principles here at Cargo is to raise awareness of the power of the individuals that make up a workforce. Everyone is different – it’s actually one of the things that make us all the same!
It’s well known nowadays that each of us has a different way of learning and working that suits us best. Our individual learning and working styles are based on many factors, such as; aptitude, age, experience, personality, motivations, attitudes, learning difficulties, outlook and creative mindset… to name a few!
So why is it that in a typical office we’re all subjected to the same environment and equipment, and expected to each achieve our best results?
In a modern working world, research shows that office design has a lot of catching up to do to support the needs of individuals – and that’s where we come in.
“When you cater for the individuals in a team, you make the team stronger – which in turn directly benefits business success and growth.” – Bethan Williams
Cargo wants to add the missing link between interior design and science. That missing link is evidence-based design.
What is Evidence-Based Design?
Evidence-based design is the process of creating an environment based on science and research to deliver the best possible results.
At Cargo, we apply an evidence-based approach to each of our projects.
How We Do It:
1. Industry-Specific Statistics
We work alongside Universities and other leading authorities to gather data on the learning needs of individuals in your industry.
We gather the latest facts and stats on how the people in your sector learn and work to create percentages and averages. We check how many students in your sector required a different approach to learning, or flourished in different aspects of their education. This is where we discover on average how many people in your industry are dyslexic or have processing deficits. These facts and figures form a basic realisation of how your workforce is likely to be made up.
2. Psychology of the Workplace
At Cargo, we work closely with psychologists to keep up with the latest developments in the psychology of the workplace. For example, as new evidence becomes available for the best ways to encourage motivation, improve team relationships and promote wellbeing – we apply them to our design approach.
3. Discovery About Your Team
Facts, Statistics and Science are all great, but we don’t believe in generalising. After all, Cargo is all about the individuals and being different. This is why we combine our evidence-based-design with some good-old-fashioned relationship building. We offer a free Creative Workshop where we invite you and your team to discuss your needs and research the most important element of the project – you.
Why is it Important?
Companies have a responsibility to recognise and cater for the different needs of their employees. By doing this, not only will companies be doing right by the people that work for them, but they’ll also be making a fantastic contribution to the growth and success of their business:
- Improved motivation
- Increased efficiency
- Better staff retention
- Raised morale
- Business growth
- Future-proofing
“It’s the individuals of a business that are the main source of knowledge and value.” – Carl Gough
Example:
In the UK, it is estimated that 1 in 10 people suffer from some form of Dyslexia. By designing a workspace that supports the needs of someone with dyslexia means you are improving the success of your workforce by 10%, and that’s a lot.
Everyone deserves to be successful. Evidence-based design can help make that happen.
How We Incorporate Research Into Our Work:
At Cargo, we create workplace environments that support individuals to work efficiently by providing adaptable spaces. We know how to support the different working and learning needs of the range of individuals you have in your teams. Introverts can become anxious in the wrong setting, and extroverts can become frustrated if not given a positive environment for social interaction.
With our office furniture expertise, for example, we can create agile workspaces to suit every work style, temperament and task – such as head’s down quiet focused areas, as well as relaxed social environments for more casual collaborative meetings..
All of this we understand, and with some simple adjustments to your office design we can make sure that you’re creating an environment that encourages the best for your employees and your business.