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Please find examples or case studies of spaces used by companies to demonstrate and build internal empathy for customers and users
Hello! Thanks for your request for case studies of spaces used by companies to demonstrate and build internal empathy for customers and users. The short answer is that Citrix, Pixar, Capital One, GE, and Marriott have all used uniquely designed spaces to foster empathy, creativity and innovation amongst their employees. You'll find a deep dive of my research below.
METHODOLOGY
To respond to your request, I searched online for case studies and examples of the use of unique spaces to build empathy within companies. Several case studies emerged, and I've summarized each case study below.
Citrix began implementing design changes within the company in 2009, a process that lasted for several years, with the goal to create a culture of innovation and to drive behavioral change. Using design thinking, the company created a collaborative design studio at the company's headquarters. This studio features a large open space for collaboration in which everything is modular and customizable, such as tables, whiteboards, and furniture. The space is low-tech to encourage person-to-person engagement and creativity, and is designed to be "un-bookable" based on the idea that you can't schedule innovation. According to this article, "The casualness of the space puts people in the right frame of mind to go outside of their traditional comfort zones and build stronger relationships with teammates." The space helped draw employees out of their offices and away from their computers, and to engage in more live human interaction. Moreover, the company engaged in training employees in design thinking, which was then applied to a variety of situations, including thinking through customer problems. For example, one designer came up with the idea, based on customer feedback, to configure products so that it's easier to solve problems for customers when they arise. The program "shows how listening to, and working with, customers can help companies move quickly from ideas to useful solutions."
Similar to the Citrix design studio, the Pixar building encourages interaction and innovation among employees. All the building's facilities, aside from private offices, are located in the center of the building, forcing employees to come out of their offices into a common area. This draws everyone together throughout the day. Designer Steve Jobs "realized that when people run into each other, when they make eye contact, things happen. So he made it impossible for you not to run into the rest of the company.” The building was designed so people would have random encounters that would lead to meeting, talking, and innovating together spontaneously. The whole idea behind this design is that innovation and creativity don't happen behind computer screens, but rather come from live human interactions.
Capital One's workspaces are designed with innovation and collaboration in mind. In addition, the company has created a customer-focused culture and has built a physical space to match. The bank's innovation arm, Capital One Labs, is focused on human-centered design thinking. The Labs created "Capital One 360 Cafes," which are hybrid coffee shops and banks where employees and designers can interview customers to get feedback on products. Through this approach and others, the Labs team "has been building customer-focused success stories across all lines of business in the company for the last three years," helping to create a culture of empathy within the company. Most of the innovations of Labs involve talking directly with customers to truly understand their needs, and using that to shape design.
Similar to Pixar and Citrix, GE has created a new design studio. This is probably the best example of what you're looking for. The whole studio is created to foster innovation and "cultivate empathy with industrial workers," the subject of the software products being designed at the studio. This includes movable walls, a 360-degree immersive viewing room, and white boards on every available surface to foster creativity. GE designers use various tools to increase their empathy for the workers. One designer even went through a helicopter crash simulation while designing software for supply ship workers. In the immersive room, workers can project videos and 360-degree still photography to help them get into the environment and mindset of the workers.
Marriott has also created innovation labs to directly engage customers in feedback. Called M Beta, the areas function as the world's first hotel in "live beta". Customers can try out and give feedback on a number of new features and innovations. Through these spaces, "We are inviting guests to be part of the innovation and decision making." Marriott has also set up innovation labs in 14 locations around the globe to encourage innovation from local communities. Local entrepreneurs and hotel employees can create and pitch ideas for ways to improve the hotel. Much of the plans for the innovation labs came from a desire to understand and reach a millennial audience, who are less likely than other generations to stay in traditional hotels.
CONCLUSION
To wrap up, I've summarized five case studies of companies designing unique spaces to foster internal empathy within the company and with customers. I hope this information is helpful to you! Thanks for using Wonder, and let us know if we can help you with anything else.