Sound Advice for Distraction-free Work Environments

Open offices were once billed as a revolutionary step in facilitating teamwork and collaboration in work environments. Over time, however, people began to notice a lag in productivity. Publications began to investigate open spaces’ value. Conversation interfered with concentration, and not everyone agreed that losing a bit of workplace privacy was good for morale.

We saw some of this first-hand in our headquarters in Gdansk, Poland. Open space made collaboration a breeze. But the steady buzz of activity wasn’t always the greatest environment in which to pour over thousands of lines of code or iterate through pixel-perfect visuals.

So when our team recently moved into a new office, we made sure to address noise issues that permeated the previous site. To learn how it worked, we talked to architect Ela Mrozek about the steps she took when designing the new UXPin office.

The new office. Photo by UXPin.

I’ve read that open offices are distracting — but some people like the collaboration they encourage. How can office design balance both teamwork and individual focus?

The most important part of design process is a discussion (interview) with office space users. I started from discovering/identifying needs of UXPin people and office rules and habits. During a number of interviews with different persons I learned that teamwork is the base of running the company. In the previous office, leisure and working spaces were affecting each other in negative ways. Noise created in the leisure part could be heard in the working part where people should be able to focus on their tasks. Even conference rooms, due to wrong materials used, didn’t offer enough acoustic comfort.

When designing the new space I focused on creating different zones and used soundproof materials to limit noise transmission between them. That’s why the new office space is open, suitable for teamwork and individual focus friendly at the same time.

How can we tell if open (or closed) offices lower productivity?

In fact it depends on the specific company, its rules, different projects or even projects’ phases. Some company profiles just don’t go well with open spaces.

UXPin’s needs are different for different teams and their roles. Some tasks require focus and silence. Others, collaborative teamwork in a less formal creative environment. The most important thing is to provide each team the space which is comfortable and doesn’t impact functioning other spaces.

The old office was very open — and noisy. How important is sound design in the new office? Was it a high priority?Defining zones and providing excellent acoustic isolation were high priorities for me. In the old office people often complained about the noise and found individual focus difficult to achieve. They even often preferred to work remotely on some important tasks requiring being focused.

I wanted to create a space where people want to be, work and rest.

Please keep in mind that office design can not solve all problems. It rather can be used as a way to follow company rules and its work culture.

What steps did you take to make the office space less distracting?

I divided the office space into two types of zones: silent and noisy. The silence zones consist of open spaces, conference rooms and the library, which is a room where everyone must follow strict no-sound-at-all rule. The noise zones are the front desk, kitchen, and dining area. [That’s a] collaboration-friendly, cafe-like space, where you can find comfortable chairs and people with coffee and notebooks. Also a few rooms where people can play games and music are available here.

Creating comfortable office spaces is not just about controlling noise. Also lighting, aesthetics and climate control are very important.

The old office. Photo by UXPin.

How have people reacted to the new design so far?

Everyone is very satisfied with visual, acoustic and functional design so far.

I was told that the new office’s building is several decades old. What did you need to renovate, and what did you keep?We renovated it entirely. The previous design was really archaic, so we had to introduce totally new functional and visual design.

Any advice for someone who wants to open up their office space?

Listen to users, learn from their experience and provide comfortable spaces for everyone. But remember that office design can just help strengthening company culture and rules, not create them.

The Team Sounds Off

So far, the UXPin team in Poland likes the working in their new office.

“I think that new office in general has more space for work. Additionally we have a huge common area where we can eat, chat, do the phone calls etc. That helps us to keep working area in silence what foster focus and concentration.”

— HR Coordinator Martyna Maksimczyk

Paweł Wakuła added that there are more places to talk like conference rooms and social rooms. The different teams are in one room “so communication is much better.” However, more people in one room make it occasionally noisy, and, oddly, sometimes it’s hard to tell whose phone is ringing. “But the office is still much better than the old one!”Paweł Neubauer agreed that “[the] new office is much, much better when it comes to distractions.” Having people work in three distinct “open spaces” makes the rest of the office quieter. Also, having the kitchen far from work areas keeps casual conversations where out of earshot.

As Ela mentioned, environment isn’t the only factor when improving focus and productivity. As Software Developer Maksymilian Barnas said:

“Our new office is great to be in: less crowded space results in less noise which translates to better working conditions. But it is not the the most important factor when talking about productivity per se. … I feel that my productivity is affected much more by having clear, specific tasks and well set up development environment (e.g. tools, workflows). While having those things set well I can work in crowded, noisy place, but lack of things I listed earlier can make me unable to finish my tasks efficiently even in the most roomy and quiet open space.”

From the Twitter Chat

On Friday we asked the Twitter community about open offices and distractions. Here’s what they had to say.

@uxpin Q3 I end up staying late a lot to have that undistracted work time #uxpinchat

— Michelle Matthews (@michematthews) April 1, 2016

@uxpin Q3 I probably do collaborate more but at the expense of boundaries and actual heads down working time. #uxpinchat

— Michelle Matthews (@michematthews) April 1, 2016

A3 : @uxpin The “creative process” is both *introverted and extroverted”, so it depends with the swing .. #uxpinchat #design #officedesign

— Zablon Wanyama (@wandiasilo) April 1, 2016

@uxpin Q3 an open office as AMAZING to me as a junior. got to overhear & witness more than i would have otherwise #uxpinchat

— Michelle Matthews (@michematthews) April 1, 2016

#uxpinchat been in an open office environment for several years. Definitely is distracting. So everyone wears headphones. Benefits lost.

— #HashTagDeals (@hashtagdeals) April 1, 2016

@uxpin Q2: let’s just say i think the open office concept is a conspiracy from the noise cancelling headphone industry #uxpinchat

— Michelle Matthews (@michematthews) April 1, 2016

A2 Heck No! A good Spotify playlist + Noizio “Paris Cafe” ambiance, and all set for a lovely day @ work #uxpinchat https://t.co/cRrWAECrl2

— Steve Amara (@amarast) April 1, 2016

This playlist is a killer. Inspiration flows when I listen to this :) https://t.co/hCbbGSeHvF #uxpinchat https://t.co/s8mVxYHxuU

— Steve Amara (@amarast) April 1, 2016

@ux_benjamin @michematthews #uxpinchat in an open office .. the only “alone “space you have is your headphones (music)

— Zablon Wanyama (@wandiasilo) April 1, 2016

@uxpin more natural light ☀️ #uxpinchat

— Michelle Matthews (@michematthews) April 1, 2016

@ux_benjamin #uxpinchat #quietday – the trick is to fill your schedule with a meeting with yourself and give it an obscure name

— #HashTagDeals (@hashtagdeals) April 1, 2016

@uxpinchat I get a ways from #distractions with head phones. But mostly, I leave my desk and take a short walk to clear my head.

— #HashTagDeals (@hashtagdeals) April 1, 2016

And that’s it for this week — but the conversation about UX continues. Have your say in next week’s #uxpinchat!

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