Thinking About Work Environments
What is your ideal work setup?
By now we all have had some experience working (or studying) from home. There are many pros and cons to this “new” way of working. Personally, I have been working remotely since 2015. Typically, we think a designer or developer can work from anywhere. Further, I take pride in keeping a simple setup. I find that developing websites and apps on a laptop to be wise. This is because your experience is more likely to work for other people if it works on your (lower end) machine. Ultimately, it reduces the time I spend debugging projects. After seven years, however, I miss having a dedicated space with the resources available to encourage creativity.
So, in the spirit of Black Friday I put together a mood board of objects that would bolster my creative space. Of course at the top of my list is a sleek computer and screen, Apple’s Mac Studio and Studio Display. But, in this exercise I also realized that I miss three essential things from previous work environments.
First is a surface to pin things up on the wall. Art school is notorious for critiquing work in this way. I find it particularly nice because you get a new perspective on what you are working on.
Second is a whiteboard. While on Google’s Data Arts Team, our room had a big whiteboard where we could collective problem solve and outline things. While I still problem solve in my notebook, I find it helpful to have it outwardly visible. The whiteboard reminded me when I walked into the space: what am I focusing on today and what progress had I already made?
Lastly, I really miss using a Wacom Tablet. I have tried over the last few years to use an iPad, but it never found its way into my daily work routine. The Wacom Tablet is far from perfect, but is a beloved and relatively cheap tool to get drawing on the computer.
Other things include things to organize paper, peripherals, and cables. I like making my space messy, but I also need to keep things organized. I find I bring more enthusiasm to the workday when I enter a clean space. What are some items that make your space? Or some items that you wish you had to improve your space?
—Jono