Making space: Designing workspaces with our people in mind

• The opportunities to redesign the workspaces for Zühlke London and Manchester arose in 2023. In London, this came in the form of the decision to expand the existing space to include another floor. In Manchester, the catalyst was a move from one location to another nearby in the city centre.
• Using the London space as an example, Neelesh goes on to explain how user types were carefully considered, including clients and colleagues who may come in and experience the office. There was also an external audience to keep in mind for when the office needed to function as a venue for events and networking.
• Environmental impact was a major consideration for the Zühlke office redesigns. The Manchester office has been designed with smart features around aspects like heating and ventilation that help to optimise energy usage and ensure that it is a ‘healthy’ space from which to work.

We spoke to Neelesh Sonawane (Principal UX Consultant & People Lead and human-centered design expert), who was leading the London office design process, to find out more.

Starting with 'why'

The opportunities to redesign the workspaces for Zühlke London and Manchester arose in 2023. In London, this came in the form of the decision to expand the existing space to include another floor. In Manchester, the catalyst was a move from one location to another nearby in the city centre. For both, however, there was a step to be taken before considering aspects like fixtures and fittings. As Neelesh explains, a key starting point for the projects was asking the right questions as per Human Centered Design.

Most of our people typically make use of the remote working benefits we offer, so any space that is not the office is a form of ‘competition’ – and understanding what these do and don’t offer is key. Importantly in a hybrid world, a modern office shouldn’t just try to replicate or one-up the alternatives, it should complement them. This is a concept about how workspaces can provide something other spaces just can’t: opportunities for in-person engagement. People are suffering from isolation and Zoom fatigue, so to make our offices appealing we really focus on the ability for connection.

The design process

Neelesh explains that the process for the projects involved designing and delivering an MVP (minimum viable product) that would meet the teams’ needs and allow for growth and iterate over time and as further needs were realised. The goal was to work within the budgetary reality to maximise the potential impact, while keeping sustainability in mind as well.

With all of these users and human-centered design in mind, the various needs were prioritised using a MoSCoW analysis – i.e., what the space must have, should have, could have, and won’t have – giving a realistic sense of what would be achievable in the MVP.

From here, the needs were mapped onto the floor plates to get an idea of what was possible. Once the spatial concept was thought through, the office itself was co-designed with a fit-out partner, Woodalls, and feedback was sought from a sample set of the user groups to ensure the space would work for them. This last aspect was particularly important, as Neelesh emphasises. “We wanted to take people on the journey with us, so they were aligned the whole way, and we sought input and collaboration at each point,” he shares. 

The outcome

The outcomes for both offices were fairly flexible concepts, with a combination of open and more private working nodes, as well as collaboration zones and areas for large gatherings. Talking about the London space particularly, Neelesh mentions the staged improvement approach to design. The office was designed and implemented with the MVP in mind, and now that it has been worked in for a while, the team has been able to learn where to evolve it in the future. These include adding soundproofing in more areas and layering on soft furnishings to make an inviting space and add personalisation.

The emphasis on the need for collaborative space is paired with a perspective on human centered design. Modern offices can often be grey and lifeless, but that's not the case here—it's light, bright, and welcoming. This drive to put people at the heart of the design begins with spatial thinking and extends even to choices like the colour palette for the soft furnishings.

In both fit-outs, the team approached the carbon footprint as one of the ‘costs’ to be managed as a part of the project, so rather than simply buying all-new items, they decided to explore refurbished alternatives with the workplace design partners. In London particularly, this resulted in significant CO2 savings: By repurposing sit-stand desks, chairs and lounge furniture, we were able to save over 8,000kg of CO2 compared to buying everything new. Neelesh also explains that the team was able to find higher-quality and better-suited pieces this way, even if it took a greater investment of time and effort.

More than an office

Design is more than just the physical space—it's about the culture it enables too. Several examples illustrate this point, from client meetings to Town Halls and Business Lunch Talks, as well as external events with the broader tech community. These often take the form of knowledge-sharing evenings organized through platforms like Meetup, featuring events such as Product Tank, Lean Agile, UX Sessions, Lean Product, and Codeandstuff.

Ultimately, when it comes to space-making at Zühlke, Neelesh states: “We followed a very similar methodology to our day-to-day work as UX designers. While the medium is different, we still focus on understanding users’ needs, realities and priorities, allowing the scope to iterate and improve into the design. This is what allows us to ensure our workplaces stay up to date with the needs of our people which is a constant process. This is only the beginning.”