Creative Production UX Study

  • #research
  • #spatial-design
  • #education

As a freshman at Syracuse University’s School of Design, I worked as a research assistant alongside Jody Nyboer (opens in new tab). This study explored college-age students’ workspace preferences and experiences, a perspective that had received limited attention in research on designed work environments.

Specifically, how the a space affects a student’s ability to (1) work effectively and (2) at their best.

I owned the discovery phase, reviewing precedent studies to narrow down our research question and define the scope of the study. I also developed activities for participants to document their work environments and measure phases in their creative productivity, via cultural probe kits (opens in new tab).

Working in design research inspired me to move away from the belief that I had to be a designer to do design. I slowly began to separate the user experience from the interface and think more carefully about design as a series of choices that influence behavior, not just how something looks or feels.

For further reading: A Creative Learning Space Development Toolkit (opens in new tab), Workspaces for Design Education and Practice (opens in new tab), Creative Space in Design Education: A Typology of Spatial Functions (opens in new tab), Spatial Design Factors Associated with Creative Work (opens in new tab), The Physical Context of Creativity (opens in new tab)

↓ Index