IIDA Perspective - Spring 2018 - 27

"We're acting almost as a psychologist would,
getting to know the client better than
they know themselves."
-Pallavi Dean
The team then sketched movement diagrams based on
the data collected from the app. The diagrams informed
the placement of restrooms, pantries, and meeting
spaces in the final design. They also can serve as valuable
evidence in instances of client pushback. When a client
says there is no need for a pantry, for example, Pallavi
Dean Interiors is able to show that there is a need based
on real-time data.

Factoring in Feelings

Credit

Technology that relies on manually entering information,
however, can have its flaws. People can be inaccurate and
hesitant about sharing too much information, Barnes
says. Motion sensors, image mapping, and other real-time
methodologies can be much more reliable tools.

"You can install sensors and cameras in rooms for longer
periods than you can install wearable technology or sensors,
so the data can be more comprehensive," Barnes says.
Either way, designers can't rely on tech to get the full
story. It can't capture emotions, feelings, or perceptions.
When it comes down to it, an employee's perception of
reality is his or her reality, Barnes says.
With a master's in design theory and environmental
psychology alongside her architecture degree, Pallavi Dean
has recognized the influence of emotions and perceptions.
In an attempt to unearth those realities from her clients,
she developed her own pre-design methodology. User
Experience Design (UXD) is a Pallavi Dean Interiorsbranded, 25-point discussion guide that drives the firm's
pre-design interviews and focus groups.
"We're acting almost as a psychologist would, getting to
know the client better than they know themselves," Pallavi
Dean says.
Pallavi Dean, along with Richard Dean, the firm's
managing director, begins a project by verbally polling
focus groups on each of UXD's 25 categories. They start
broad by brainstorming and then dive in deeper, Richard
Dean says. Big-picture categories, such as multisensory,
serve as jumping-off points for more granular, emotionbased questioning, which can include, "What do you hear
when you are in this section of the office?" and "Do you
consider these sounds pleasant or unpleasant?"
"Answers to these questions help us determine where to
position certain systems within the plan, like heating and
cooling," Pallavi Dean says.
Depending on the size of the client, focus
groups range from a handful of staff to dozens
of employees. If there's an office of 200 people,
the firm might do three focus groups of eight
people each, Richard Dean says. Typically, the
focus groups are attended by a cross-section
of departments, including employees such as
C-suite executives, receptionists, and interns.
The reach of these interviews should be far
SUSANNE MOLINA, FIIDA
and wide, says Susanne Molina, FIIDA, LEED
AP, principal, ONE design collective, Los
Angeles, California, USA. For example, Molina and her
team will sometimes pull in temporary employees because
their fresh perspective can be enlightening. She recalls
valuable input that came from an intern during her firm's
pre-design of a law office.
"We were touring another law firm that had a very
upscale, high-design lobby," she says. "A young intern

spring 2018

perspective

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