Panasonic Designed Human Blinders To Block Out Open-Plan Office Distraction (curbed.com)

An anonymous reader shares a report: Open plan offices, once the darling of design, are now showing their fault lines. To get a little bit of personal space, we've come up with all sorts of solutions, from phone booths to furniture designed to create a sense of privacy. All of those ideas seem totally, completely normal compared to this new project from Panasonic. The tech company's Future Life Factory design studio partnered with Japanese fashion designer Kunihiko Morinaga to develop an open-plan solution to end all open-plan solutions. Say hello to Wear Space. Wear Space is, for lack of a better description, like equine blinkers for humans. The strip of flexible material wraps around the back of the head and covers the side of the eyes, blocking up to 60 percent of a wearer's peripheral vision, Panasonic says. Think of it as a sign for potential bothersome coworkers that broadcasts, "I'm busy."

Comments

Open office planform is a bad idea

[Geoffrey.landis]

"Once the darling of design" is right. Actual research shows that the "open office" idea, with no privacy at all, is a terrible idea for a workplace, which maximized distractions and minimized getting things done.

Re:Open office planform is a bad idea

[turbidostato]

"For any sort of tech, saving 50% of rent, but losing 10% of productivity is a huge loss."

Maybe. But, then, you are looking at it the wrong way.

How do you measure the 10% lost productivity, specially when your whole industry has made it the standard? I'll tell you: nobody will measure this.

Then, how do you measure the savings you get by packing your employees like cows? Again, I'll tell you: just look at the rent bills.

So, what do you think bean-counting minds will push forward? I'll tell you about that too: just look around.

Re:Open office planform is a bad idea

[ZorinLynx]

Hell, it goes back to the 1950s and 60s. I've seen photos of offices from the 50s and 60s, and everybody is working on one large room, on small desks like a classroom. And they're using typewriters; which are annoying and loud. Imagine what a horrible work environment that was.

Cubicles were invented for a reason. We wouldn't have them if open plans worked, because the logical progression is so try open plan first (since it's cheapest), learn that it doesn't work, then try cubicles.

An even better idea

[Confused]

I’ve found that nothing beats good noise-cancelling headphones. Haven’t seen anything better yet.

Have you tried an office with privacy? That's even better than noise-cancelling headphones.

  I guess the corporate world isn't ready for such a radical and innovative idea yet. Human horse blinders will have to do for now.

Inovation comes from the meek, not the speak

[jellomizer]

Open office designs are just stupid.
Mostly the bosses who are these big extroverts (who also seem to have their own office) who thrive on personal interaction, debates and general open communication, think these open offices are great ideas, and they tend to look nice also with a lot of light and non-braking spaces. However the people who come up with the ideas and solutions tend to be the introverts, who need to sit quietly, think, plan and work out the details. These are are just rooms of noise, confusion and just a lot of bluster.

Real offices with doors are the best, Shared offices with one other person comes in second, third are high walled cubes, then short walled cubes and finally open office designs as the productivity killer.

While the boss and investors love to see an office that seems busy like a factory floor. vs a hallway of dead silence. In reality with everyone quite and working, things are getting done.
 

I spent 10 years in the military, then 10 more...

[TigerPlish]

...in cubeland. Proper cubes, with walls all around and a space for entry/exit.

In the intervening years, the open office made a comeback. ..how?! Why?! Oh dear god why? I thought this was dead and buried in the 70's / 80's? WTF happened?

I hate it, more than I have words for. I see new workspaces built as such and I cringe.

Good thing is where I'm currently at they've seen the light and are planning on a proper cubefarm.. ...never did I think I'd be celebrating the cube, yet here we are.

I did have an office once. For six glorious years. No window, but it had a roof, four walls and a proper door. I miss that, more than any work environment I've *ever* been at.

Re:Ingenues. Wait...wut?

[lgw]

Open plan offices aren't actually any cheaper, because you need more meeting rooms. Open plan offices serve only one goal: management hates you and wants you to be unhappy.