“[Her] thesis is that organizations have their own kind of invisible structure. In other words, what you see on the flowchart of a company isn’t necessarily how the work gets done,” Carabetta explains. Stephenson uses surveys, data analysis, and elaborate charts to map out networks of relations that are often hidden.

There’re the usual sorts of findings:

“Evolutionary anthropologists always talk about a line of sight. You stand up on the savannas and you’ve got to be able to see great distances,” she says. “It’s the same thing here in the work space. You’ve got to be able to see out to others and see where it is you work, why you’re working there, and who it is you can interconnect and collaborate with.”

Plus some a little bit different:

The result is a layout based on relationships rather than hierarchies, with a design meant to foster interaction at all levels

That’s interesting. Which goes stale faster: a relationship or hierarchy? Depends on the job, the business, etc. etc. I suppose. Also, could this be the start of social network inspired architecture? Sign of the times but when I read “relationship” I immediately thought social networks. How awful.

Q: Tesco is famous for doing a lot of customer research with it’s loyalty program, the Clubcard.

LEAHY: It’s an important technical part of an even more important philosophy, which is to listen to customers—but really listen. Many organizations say they listen, but they’re very selective in what they allow themselves to hear. The great thing about customers is that they’re very honest people.

Another interesting bit from Leahy:

“Our team went over to live in the U.S. We stayed in people’s homes. We went through their fridges. We did all our research, and we’re good at research.”

AA Gill over at the Times Online has a lot to say about the new Whole Foods recently opened in London:

“The largesse of this born-again, healthy, feel-my-freshness emporium exposes one of those great rifts between Americans and us. Americans like quantity. The sight of towering displays of fresh food, a carnage of meat, oceans of fish, a sugary cornucopia of buns and breads, and vast wheels of cheeses, fills them with a sense of wellbeing and comfort.”

And more from Lisa Armstrong’s piece:

“First, 80,000 sq ft looks thrilling when you walk in but it is simply too big. I couldn’t find anything on my list, partly because Whole Foods isn’t laid out like a traditional UK supermarket, and partly because products are arranged according to country of origin. And no, I don’t know where tahini comes from.”

The U.S. Tescos aren’t open yet but I’m looking forward to them. Will the reaction be as strong as the British with their Whole Foods?

“In keeping with the theme of the course, the students unveiled their final recommendations by staging an immersive experience. They filled a large, round room with process sketches, prototypes, and thematic props (such as tents). After walking their audience through the final recommendations, they invited everyone outside to enjoy a makeshift campfire and toasted marshmallows.”

There are a number of PDFs available, from strategic planning, to brainstorming, to signage and much more. Final recommendations and process documentation also available (PDF, 12MB).

I have to highlight the PDF from Marc Rettig and Aradhana Goel—it’s great! I want to project each page on a wall and immerse myself; these little PDF pages don’t do the subject justice. One of the best examples of the physical “experience” experience design demands around.