Time to put the dopamine clock hypothesis to work

IS IT SPRING YET?

If January felt like the longest month of the year to you, well… science may support that. Have you heard of the “dopamine clock hypothesis”? When we have things to look forward to (e.g. holidays in December), our internal clock speeds up – so it feels like time is moving faster.

With February now here and uncertainty still the name of the game – heck, even the groundhogs can’t agree on the timing of spring – it’s important to focus on the fun and exciting things that can help speed up that internal clock.

One of the things that we’re really excited about is the hot-off-the-presses launch of powerful new features for our space utilization data analytics console, inTELLO.

The new dashboard offers an improved user experience, heat maps for visualizing utilization data over time and people flow diagrams that visualize movement and common pathways through any space. It also now offers filters to discern the movements of unique work teams, providing insight into the specific requirements of different groups sharing the same office.

So what does this mean for our clients? Deeper insights that go far beyond people counting alone to optimize office real estate portfolios.

CAN SMART STADIUMS BOOST TICKET SALES?

Speaking of things to look forward to, the Super Bowl approaches… and, as sports is back in full swing, it's the high time to consider what, exactly, we should expect of a fan's experience in a stadium.

Space utilization technology can turn these facilities into Smart stadiums, opening the opportunity to vastly improve a fan's journey from entry, to finding seats, to concessions, to restrooms… to the exit. Smart stadiums are more efficient, more profitable, and easier to move through – and they have important insights for other large venues such as convention centers, too. Our latest blog explores how this tech can change the game as we continue into 2022.

HOW WILL WE REDESIGN OFFICES TO SUIT THE FUTURE OF WORK?

Now we shift venues from where we watch sports to where we perform work. (That place that isn’t the living room.) Specifically, talk is heating up about how office design may evolve as we pass over the line in the sand from what employers and employees used to think about the nature of the workplace. It’s no longer (pun alert) business as usual.

One article that focused on 2021 office trends said designs focused on collaboration and forging a workplace community would be in major play. It proposed that corporate landlords conceive of a “third place” (past the home, past the office) – an intentional community inside a building.

In a recent report, CBRE expects “individual spaces'' to drop as low as 30% (from historical 60-70% levels) and for collaboration spaces to spring up in their place – as well as greater allowances for amenities and social/learning areas. Meanwhile, some suggest that open concept floor plans may go the way of the Dodo, so what would collaboration spaces look like? Another story previews what that might look like: office neighborhoods, immersive environments and activity-based solutions.

Whatever’s next, office design is on the front burner both in corporate real estate circles and in companies contemplating a hybrid shift.

THE CORNERSTONE OF EVERYTHING: TRUST

Of course, strategizing spaces must also take into consideration the human element: namely, what your employees want and need in order to feel stable and certain in their work environment.

ICYMI, we recently posted a look at how businesses can build employee trust with clarity, conviction, and technology – along with transparent and empathetic communication. Given that 65 percent of workers now believe communication from their own employer rather than other sources, fostering and maintaining trust is more important than ever when it comes to building and maintaining a healthy workplace culture.

NEW IN SMART TECH

Among the tech being deployed for the Beijing Olympic Games are Smart beds. While athletes sleep, their mattresses will monitor breathing and heart rate so they and their coaches can see if there is any change in health status.

For those who are a little past Olympic age, older adults can be better served with an array of Smart home products that makes things easier, improves their quality of life, and keeps them safe. Explored in this Washington Post piece.

We have a new evolution in Smart cars that’s nothing about driverless – instead, Smart vehicle security to thwart thieves from stealing valuables.

Could Smart lockers that contain Narcan help curb opioid overdose deaths in urban centers? Check out this program in Philadelphia using a Canadian company’s tech.

And Reuters reports that Smart guns may finally break the U.S. market, opening the chance to bring new levels of safety as only verified users can fire them.

IN OUR SPACE

InTELLO now ups the ante when it comes to informing important decisions around capacity, furniture, lighting and layout of offices and workspaces – all with the goal of helping clients decide how much real estate is actually needed. With enhanced data and visualization, the web-based InTELLO analytics portal presents InnerSpace spatial intelligence data at-a-glance, offering a full spectrum of historical data for reference whenever it’s needed. Remember, you can only get these metrics with the InnerSpace solution:

- Team-based behaviors
- Visitor behaviors (new vs. returning)
- Pathway analysis
- Visit frequency (limited to WiFi solutions only)
  
  Learn more here!

InnerCircle turns two this month! Thank you to those who have been along for the journey and the conversation. Our goal is to bring you a quick snapshot of digital transformation impacting your indoor spaces.
We’ve been having a bit of fun to offset the January doldrums. Together we did this personality test and found, hey we work well together at InnerSpace. We opened a Slack channel in which we play Wordle, which you might have heard about. Both could be fun ways to shake things up a bit as companies try to rebuild camaraderie in a virtual way.
Bonus tip: you can play 2,000 original, non-NYT-based Wordle puzzles through this workaround.