The Table Kingdom – inGenius

Google’s Creative Workplace.  Image Source

THE TABLE KINGDOM

-The spaces we live and work are the stages on which we play out our lives.

• huge impact on our thoughts and behavior

-Our environment tends to get less and less innovative as we get older (in terms of school and work space)
-Our surroundings influence how we feel and act (height of ceiling, brightness, volume of music, smells of room)

• that’s why real estate agents turn on all the lights and bake cookies at open houses

-At her d.school, they can design the classroom differently for each session, to enhance what they are doing that day.

• it is optimized for creative problem solving
• a “space team” evaluates the environment and experiments with new ideas.

-Experimentation with space

• at IDEO, they all sit together now to increase energy around projects and enhance communication, as well as create a place for all project artifacts to be in plain sight
• PROXIMITY is an important variable when designing space.
• space dramatically affects team dynamics and creativity (ex. tables frame a world — “This table is our kingdom.  It is up to us to build and protect it.”
• if the space consists of only chairs – “Our world is very flexible.  With little effort we can reorganize the way we work together.”

-also influenced by what we we OUTSIDE our windows as well as ambient sound
-sound tracks can influence how we feel and our sense of taste

-Ewan McIntosh (international expert on learning and technology) describes 7 different types of spaces that exist

1. private space – places where we can be alone
2. group spaces – where small teams of people can work together, collaborate
3. publishing spaces – to showcase what is going on.  Occur in both physical and virtual world.  Photos, artwork, videos, artifacts
4. performing space – where you can share your ideas or act them out. they stimulate your imagination and help bring ideas to life.
5. participation spaces – allow personal engagement with what is going on. ex. public garden where students tend the plants
6. data space – like a library or database where we archive info that will be needed  later.
7. watching spaces – allow us to passively observe what is happening around us

-creative spaces lead to creative work
-but it is equally important to consider WHO is in your space – the people around you influence the culture and topics discussed