Multisensory design for sense of coherence: a case study of academics’ workspaces

Abstract

Multisensory design in workplace plays an important role in the sense of wellbeing and sense of coherence of its users. Both are important for workplace productivity and efficiency. Workplace designs are often driven by maximising capacity and corporate identities rather than the need for improving the quality of environments and sense of wellbeing of its users which is critical for optimising workplace productivity. Multisensory design features vary across workplace environments and the response to such may also vary based on the user groups, their background, cultural differences, type of profession or work being performed etc. The study aims to explore multisensory design in workplace and its impact on sense of wellbeing and coherence of its users in a case study of a workplace of academics in a Higher Education Institution. A qualitative approach is used to collect data on user perceptions via in-depth interviews, memory sketching, visual surveys etc. The workplace multisensory design features are assessed using checklists and photographic observations. Findings show that universal factors such as adequate privacy, availability of biophilia, informal interactions in the workplace and the flexibility for personalisation enhanced sense of wellbeing and coherence in workplace., which led to a positive impact on workplace productivity.in the users.