OPAL.
Consumer Design
The Office Productivity Assistant Lamp explores human interactions with space by identifying a common problem experienced by workers in the office: distractions and interruptions decrease productivity. A study found that over 70% of workers feel distracted in the office due to interruptions, taking workers an average of 23 minutes to refocus on a task.
In an ideal world, co-workers would be able to know when others are available without interrupting them. I needed to find a way of communicating status non-verbally. Non-verbal communication eliminates interruptions and notifies workers of availability. A simple, effective way of achieving this is by placing a coloured lamp at each workstation, offering users the ability to select colours corresponding to their working status.
Skill development: Design Process, Arduino programming, Electronics Engineering, DFM, CAD
Avoiding negative interactions in the office.
To operate the OPAL lamp, the user selects a colour corresponding to working status. For instance, red for “Do not disturb”, green for “Free to talk”, or further options such as “In need of help” or “Away, coming back soon”. The lamp can either be operated through an app or manually, programmed to change colour on touch by making use of the capacitive coupling effect. An app adds additional functionality, such as letting co-workers know your status digitally. A suction cup, clip and flexible Gooseneck attach the device to dividing boards or computers to improve the visibility of the device in a range of office environments. For more open-plan offices, this prevents interruptions by gauging availability from afar.
