Workspace Design: A case study applying participatory design principles of healthy workplaces in an industrial setting

The Danish Workspace Design (WSD) research program is aimed to develop and trial a potential new concept for ergonomists and other workplace consultants who are to engage in socio-technical design processes. The objective of this paper is to report on the trial of the workspace design concept in a case involving the design and implementation of a new mixing technology in an industrial plant.

The case showed how the WSD concept can contribute to an engineering design process. The WSD team took the role as workspace designer and by the participatory workshops achieved an impact on the technology project. In the role as workspace designer it was important for the WSD team to make sure that the achievements in the workshops were “transmitted” to and sustained in the ordinary engineering design process.

In this case, it turned out that the artefacts such as a layout game board and documents with compilations of ideas and requirements from use scenarios served as appropriate transmitter devices or inscriptions.