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SPOTLIGHT: Experiential Design

THE ENHANCED OCCUPANT EXPERIENCE:

TAKING BUILDINGS

TO THE NEXT LEVEL

HOWARD BERGER the occupant, such as digitally reporting maintenance
Managing Partner, Program Director issues from their mobile phone and other similar tasks.
Realcomm From that beginning, it was a short leap to the creativ-
ity we see now around developing applications; suites
COMPANIES TODAY ARE UNDER constant pressure to of services and functions that enhance that occupant
create competitive advantage in their respective mar- experience in unanticipated ways.
kets, and that competitiveness extends to their unique
company brand and culture. Efforts to create the ‘ideal From a technology standpoint, a lot of the experience
workplace’ have given rise to the experiential phenom- phenomenon crosses the lines between design (both
enon for visitors and employees. architectural and interior design) and the technologies
to support experience (UX/UI, integration strategy,
In the same way that consumers now expect technol- etc.). This is because there’s just no way you’re going
ogy to offer a seamless, enhanced shopping or enter- to have a good experience in a traditional cubicle
tainment experience, employees seek out companies office, no matter what you put there; it is the same with
that can offer a digital workplace that responds to outdated analog business processes.
their needs and perhaps even anticipates them while
promoting productive work activities. There are now a Organizational initiatives in Experience Design and
host of technologies that we can use to manage, moni- Design Thinking are helping companies understand the
tor, analyze and improve on experience initiatives. nuance of the experiences they are trying to create and
to really understand, at a very granular level, peoples’
This is a relatively new concept, which began with needs and desires. The big data analytics from the
the idea of allowing building occupants to take more sensors and other technologies to monitor occupants’
control of their building by making micro-adjustments behavior have increased our knowledge in a measurable
to room temperature using an app on their mobile way about user preferences and behavior patterns.
phones. The other big driver was mobile user manage-
ment of meeting/conference room bookings. Some of the major elements of experience still draw on
timeless architectural efforts to design a space that is
As these early mobile applications became more com- welcoming to human sensibilities: the orientation of the
mon, they effectively put more power in the hands of building, the use of natural light and landscape to bring

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