Quiz: Does the Design of Your Office Make You Happy? Or Drive You Crazy?

Few books have made a deeper impression on me than A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction. This strange, brilliant book uses architecture, sociology, psychology, and anthropology to describe the most satisfying architectural environments.
Instead of talking about familiar architectural styles and elements, for example, it focuses on the Front Door Bench, the Child Caves, the Sleeping to the East. I love these! I want them for my own apartment!
The book discusses houses, but it also covers commercial spaces and offices. Are you being driven crazy at work by misplaced walls or the wrong kind of noise? Take this quiz.
I put a “yes” or “no” after each element, as it applies to my office.

there’s a wall behind you (so no one can sneak up behind you). Yes.
there’s a wall to one side (too much openness makes you feel exposed). Yes.
there’s no blank wall within 8 feet in front of you (or you have no place to rest your eyes). No, I sit right in front of a wall.
you work in at least 60 square feet (or you feel cramped). No; my office is tiny.
you have a view to the outside (no matter how large your office, you will feel confined in a room without a view). Yes—no nice view, but I can see outside. Having a window is enormously important to me.
you are aware of at least 2 other people, but not more than 8 people, around you (less than 2, you feel isolated and ignored; more than 8, you feel like a cog in a machine). No, I’m all alone.
you can’t hear workplaces noises that are very different from the kind of noises you make at work (you concentrate better when the people around you are engaged in similar tasks, not very different tasks). The building next door to mine is undergoing a lot of construction, so I hear jackhammers, workmen talking, etc.
no one is sitting directly opposite you and facing you. No.
you can face in different directions at different times. Yes.
you can see at least 2 other people, but not more than 4. No.
you have at least one co-worker within talking distance. No.
to make the space more attractive, incorporate Windows Overlooking Life, a Half-Open Wall, Thick Walls, Open Shelves, Pools of Light (over the workspace), and a nearby Sitting Circle.

Most of us can’t change much about the design of our offices, but these elements at least furnish a few ideas.
My office is very, very small. If I had more room and space, I would love to have a horseshoe-shaped desk, with enormous amounts of surface space, as well as a treadmill desk. Oh, how I long for a treadmill desk! And, of course, Windows Overlooking Life.
How does the design of your workplace measure up? Do you agree with these points?

(Photo: acameronhuff, Flickr)

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Diane G.
Professional Feng Shui Consultant, Teacher, Chinese Astrologer, Speaker and Author
This is also one of my favorite books. It teaches the same practical ideas we use in feng shui to make living and work spaces nurturing and productive. Every single detail of a space, from furniture shape to artwork, influences how we act and what we can accomplish. It is no coincidence that a small desk can only sustain a small business since there is literally nowhere for the business to grow. Simple changes bring big results.
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1h
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Geoff G.
Chartered Accountant for SMB's
These are great points - must look at my work area and see if it set up right . Thankyou
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2h
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Lisa A.
Vice President at Mark Allison Marketing, LLC
Thanks! Too often we forget to think about how we utilize our office space and just exist there. Mine is a good sized home office, but after reading your quiz I realize that I am not really taking advantage of it's potential and that affects my potential for creativity. Very helpful article.
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5h
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PEG LESSARD 2^nd
Director of Development at Walking With Anthony
Thanks Gretchen. Those are great elements..very Feng Sui. My office has to reflect my personality. That includes things I love to look at and also the basic necessities within reach. Organization is my key to productivity.
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7h
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JOSEPH D.
Division GM & Technical Director of Summitville Tiles, Laboratories Division, Inc.
After having positions that have placed me in an office space and a cubicle to Prarie Dog from, I now have a 10 x 10 office that has a window (to the parking lot). My office is a side space where people pass through the open end of it using it as a hallway. I've turned down higher $$ offers several times over the cubical that came with the position. My bills are payed, I can focus and I feel I have "my semi-quiet space" to work in. I don't have to hear the Three Stooges ring tone in the next cubicle while I am talking to a project manager on the phone.
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8h
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Madhu L.
Group Purchasing Manager at FMF Group of Companies
FMF Foods Ltd has best office facility for their staff awesome place and office to be...they know how to take care of their product, they ensure working environment a "priority"....
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14h
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Karla W.
Customer Service Representitive at Waterloo Industries
The office that I work in has half walls between each desk and I am not a great fan. I seem to hear all my co-workers personal calls and they are non stop all day long. I would like to have an office that I don't hear this kind of information.
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Sebastian Gervasio F.
Processes and Continuous Improvement Analyst at TGestiona
It's absolutely important. I've recently got a a new job and an amazing new working environment concept. Let's call it "Total open & mobile office", the company call it "the 2.0 building". - No fixed positions. You decide to be on an individual desk or a "grouped" one. There are kind of "fixed areas", but in practice you can sit wherever you want. This is a huge benefit if you work in different and parallel projects. - Brand new laptop & tablet. Lots of big screens, normal keyboards and mouses everywhere ready to plug in if you need more comfort. - Personal locker. A nice, roomy and tall locker. Also a separate locker on a dressing room if you use the gym. We have showers!!! (this one looked incredible to me the first time I saw it). - Huge amount of meeting rooms of all sizes. Open and closed ones, even in a terrace!. You can use a closed one if you need privacy at any given time. - Lots of space, lots of full height windows. - Only managers and directors have their personal office. Managers are encouraged to be at the open office spaces as much time as possible. I don`t know if this kind of design fits every company, certainly it does fit here.
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Karen N.
Experienced Trainer and Documentation Specialist at Roche Diagnostics
Yes, absolutely important! I've worked at the same company for 30 years and over that time I've had 3 different types of workspaces/cubicles. All 3 of the types of workspaces are some form of your picture above! One thing that is important to me and has made boring cube spaces a bit more palitable are windows, if I can see the sunshine, then half the battle is won. Some things that are critical to me are: I an introvert so having space of my own is important- places for "my stuff" (drawers- I'm out of sight out of mind), places for pictures etc. I need LIGHT, having these "special" non-glare soft lights in the office I have now just drive me crazy! I need access to others, I do need to collaborate and be social, but also need that wall space for "heads-down" time. I want easy access to a break room, personal fridge etc. I am very focused at work, I hate to run around to different places to refill my glass of ice water - it drives me nuts. Right now our company is moving (slowly) to a totally open office concept. A room of desks where a person comes in and chooses any desk to sit at, no drawers, no personal space; there are lockers for you to put a purse/coat. I am dreading moving to this environment! Our new CEO was on our Tucson campus when new builidings were built and one thing he had as a requirement was that all employees had to be able to see a window from their desk. I've been out there a couple of times (from Indy) and the buildings/workspaces are so beautiful and the windows make a huge difference! This is such an interesting topic- I am going to read through others comments!
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Consuela M.
Associate Human Resources Manager
Your surrounding are important. I try to always have some of my favorite color around me for visual breaks from my computer. Also one thing recently added here are the option for standing desks. Sitting too long each day is not good for our health and the desks are easy to raise and lower so you can sit or stand as much or as little as you like. @David Plouffe what you do sounds amazing. I would love to hear more about how you are using AI in your planning. clmunoz2@scj.com
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Sarah E.
Assistant to the City Manager/Public Affairs Specialist at City of Helena
When I started looking for a new position at the end of a grant, I had three priorities: No micromanager, no decrease in salary, and NO CUBE. Thank goodness, my current position meets those requirements and more!
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Likers hayim C.
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Marisol R.
Jefe de Comercio Exterior en Ecuacocoa C.A.
I have to have natural light and plants! no need luxury furniture, but comfortable yes
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Apurav S.
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Yes....the Design of Your Office Make me Happy. Office is the only place where we spend our whole life. I worked in R&D deptt for almost 2 yrs and I was happy. But along with this the most inportant thing is our colleagues.
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Philip A.
Interior Designer
Gretchen, great piece for discussion. My take on this is that assessing the desired work space is something an interior designer should be involved in. As with assessing the building into which the company or business with those desired work spaces will go and reporting on it. Quite often, & without facts and figures to back this up, most businesses expand as needed and evolve without much thought to design other than initial costs at the out set. This later changes with success of course but I think that it is safe to say this. So usually businesses choose locations for various reasons like proximity to the industry they are in etc. and with little or no regard for the individual elements that a building will impose on the work force. And yet the workforce is the biggest investment a business will make. We as an industry have tried over the years to encourage the business world to understand the need/advantages of using an interior designer at the outset but we have failed and for many reasons. It is good that we remind our selves about preferential design layouts and elements and their advantages because we seldom are asked to advise long term from the outset for a client and so when it does happen we should be prepared.
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Vicki T.
Independent Mental Health Care Professional
I too love A Pattern Language and have found it extremely helpful in arranging and modifying parts of my home. The zen view is one of my favorites. Feng Shui principles also offer great solutions to dealing with a less than ideal physical circumstances. Thanks for you quiz.
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Andrew P.
Experienced Interim Software Configuration Manager, Release Manager, IT Process Design
I'm currently working on a client site, sat in an open-plan office, where I can't open the windows to get fresh air. At least it's quiet though: the previous client's open-plan office was a mass of people talking loudly about football, nothing to do with work. Irrelevant noise and a lack of fresh air do not make for a good working environment. In total contrast my new home office is nearly complete: it's a 35 square metres log cabin with a green roof and lots of space for me, my wife, and an occasional visitor. It has comfy seating, real wood furniture, a step-exerciser and bike, and windows that open onto a view of trees and the sound of birds. Obviously it has high-speed comms, phones etc. too. It's a replacement for my current, but smaller, home office. I'm looking forward to moving in because I know I'll be able to achieve far more there than I ever will in a noisy open-plan office, surrounded by noisy people, and locked windows that look out onto bricks and concrete. If only I could persuade clients to let me work there more often...
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Didier L.
VP R&D Systems Development at bioMerieux
Hi Rubin & all, you should connect with Miss Françoise Bronner. She is a researcher on new ways of working. She is passionate about workplace design. She is fully integrating the evidence that each culture is unique. She is the co-founder of the group called "WORKREPUBLIK". Don't wait goto her and chat ...
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Joakim N.
Social CRM Strategist & Entrepreneur
A big part of why I'm independent is the ability to chose my office and work location (well, within the available budget). Spending almost all your time awake with work, it's a pity spending that time in a location that you're not feeling comfortable in.
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Likers Marisol R.
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Rakhi T.
Director at Suyojan Multitech Services (India) Pvt. Ltd.
I walk through the park each 3-4 hours. I do out of box thinking then and then again enter office
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Ettore S.
Architect Designer
As I change kind of work during the day and the year, also change the best place and layout. I may need silence or a team work. I prefer a bench or a cluster. But if something it's wrong in my temporary workstation, I soon add something that helps me to love it. Hey, I love to read the Gretchen's post as all your comments.
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