The Hubs: Design Insights for Walking Meeting Technology

in Lecture Notes in Computer Science (2021), 12935 LNCS

As an active form of meeting, walking meetings can be beneficial for office workers who often have a sedentary work routine. Despite their substantial benefits in terms of health, social interactions, and ... [more ▼]

As an active form of meeting, walking meetings can be beneficial for office workers who often have a sedentary work routine. Despite their substantial benefits in terms of health, social interactions, and creativity, walking meetings are not yet widely adopted. Some key barriers limiting their social acceptance and wider adoption, for instance, the difficulty to present files or take notes, might be addressed by technology. Using the Hubs - a network of stand-up meeting stations - as a design exemplar, we conducted a scenario-based survey (N = 186) to provide insights into how technological solutions can support the practice of walking meetings. Focusing on the size of the group and type of meetings, we identify scenarios of use and discuss design implications for the development of future technologies and service design components to support walking meetings. © 2021, IFIP International Federation for Information Processing. [less ▲]

Ivy: Reading a critical design for sedentary behavior in the office context

in DIS 2020 Companion - Companion Publication of the 2020 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference (2020)

In this paper, we present and discuss Ivy, a critical artifact offering a novel design perspective on interventions that aim to reduce sedentary behavior in office workers. Ivy is an interactive office ... [more ▼]

In this paper, we present and discuss Ivy, a critical artifact offering a novel design perspective on interventions that aim to reduce sedentary behavior in office workers. Ivy is an interactive office chair that represents the amount of sitting time through growing ivy strands. Using the matrix of common argument types by Bardzell et al., we propose a structured "reading" of Ivy, as an example supporting reasoned and accessible conversations about criticality in design. Our reading of Ivy emphasized that its criticality emerges mainly from data physicalization as a new form of interactivity intended to trigger reflectiveness. The insights of this design study contribute towards a critical perspective on designing interventions to reduce sedentary time and spark discussion amongst designers and researchers in the field of Human-Computer Interaction. © 2020 Owner/Author. [less ▲]

The hub: Facilitating walking meetings through a network of interactive devices

in DIS 2020 Companion - Companion Publication of the 2020 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference (2020)

Walking meetings are a promising means to improve healthy behavior at work. By providing a physically active way of working, walking meetings can reduce our sitting time. Several obstacles that limit the ... [more ▼]

Walking meetings are a promising means to improve healthy behavior at work. By providing a physically active way of working, walking meetings can reduce our sitting time. Several obstacles that limit the social acceptance and wider adoption of walking meeting practice have been highlighted in previous research. Amongst these, the difficulty to take notes or present files is a recurring concern for office workers. To address these barriers, we designed the Hub, a network of stand-up meeting stations that accommodate different work-related tasks during walking meetings. We report on two pilot user tests investigating users' experiences and ideas for improvement, and present future research steps. We discuss the usefulness and relevance of the Hub concept to overcome the obstacles associated with walking meetings. © 2020 Owner/Author. [less ▲]

Understanding Walking Meetings: Drivers and Barriers

Scientific Conference (2020)

There is increased interest in reducing sedentary behavior of office workers to combat the negative health effects of prolonged sitting. Walking meetings offer a promising solution to this problem as they ... [more ▼]

There is increased interest in reducing sedentary behavior of office workers to combat the negative health effects of prolonged sitting. Walking meetings offer a promising solution to this problem as they facilitate a physically active way of working. To inform future development of technologies supporting these type of meetings, in-depth qualitative insights into people’s experiences of walking meetings are needed. We conducted semi-structured walking interviews (N=16) to identify key drivers and barriers for walking meetings in a living lab setting by using the ‘WorkWalk’. The ‘WorkWalk’ is a 1.8 km walking route indicated by a dotted blue line with outdoor meeting points, integrated into the room booking system. Our findings provide insights into how walking meetings are experienced and affect the set-up and social dynamics of meetings. We propose design recommendations for the development of future technologies and service design elements to support walking meetings and active ways of working. [less ▲]