Communicating Boundaries in Coworking Spaces

Setting boundaries is essential for maintaining the flexibility of co-working spaces­­—users have control of where, when, and how they work—and mutual respect within the community. Many people struggle to establish boundaries due to low self-esteem, a dread of upsetting people, or a fear of conflict. They may accept intrusions and interruptions, or neglect their personal feelings “for the good of the team,” leaving them feeling exhausted and hurt.

Although giving and receiving advice from others in a co-working environment is an attractive feature to members, users that struggle with managing their boundaries can get overwhelmed with collaboration requests which can impede their daily workflow.

Clarit-e is a system of products that uses an Ultra-Wideband (UWB) Internal Positioning System (IPS) to track worker movement within the office. Users can update their availability status through a wearable as well as an app. Within the app, Augmented Reality (AR) allows the users to see in real-time who around them is open to collaborate and who has communicated that they would prefer to not be disturbed. Being able to see their coworkers’ status and current location within the workplace allows users to communicate with more confidence as well as easily set boundaries throughout their work day.

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Mobile and Desktop App

The Clarit-e App allows users to pair their profile to a Tag, update their availability, access a list of coworkers, and use AR or the map to see nearby workers with their respective jobs and skills. Workers can contact each other through their preferred communication channels as well as be notified when a user becomes available.

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App Architecture

The Clarit-e App's dashboard has four main screens; Home, Reality, Map, and Profile.

The Home screen is where users can pair their profiles to a Tag, update their availability (available, unavailable, or ghost), and see a list of fellow co-workers. This list is arranged by favourites, followed by currently available peers, unavailable, and out of office. Users can also search by name or profession, if they have a specific request in mind.

The Profile screen is where users can set up how they present themselves to their co-workers, and link their socials for quick communication.

The Reality screen is home to the AR feature of the Clarit-e system. Users can pan the office around them and see if their nearby co-workers are available or unavailable. Once focused on a person or more, they can swipe up to see their profile information and proceed with the best form of communication from there.

The Map screen is useful for a quick glance at those in the office as well as finding a co-worker with a specific profession that may not be in the immediate vicinity. For example, if one was to search for a coworker in the Home screen, they could be taken to the map to see where that coworker is to engage in face-to-face interaction.

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Tag + Accessories

The Tag is a wearable that tracks the user while in the workplace. It measures proximity and acceleration to give the most accurate and smooth user experience. The goal was to create an accessory that was subtle but still present.

Size and Materials

The Tag is designed to be a subtle but present accessory; something that users wouldn't feel ruins their day to day self expression. With three colour options for the clips -and potential for more- , users can choose a vibe that represents them best.

My goal while designing the clip was to make it as small as possible while also keeping the technology needed for best performance.

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Gateway + Anchor

The Anchors and Gateways are use to locate the tags. The Anchors and Tags are sending out signals (UWB RF) to each other and measuring how long it takes to arrive (ToA). The Gateway collects this information and acts as a bridge to a central server in the cloud.

Charging Station

The Tags are recharged by the charging station. Users grab a tag and clip on their way in to work and return it on their way out.

Final Report

Check out the final project report for a more detailed look at the research and design process!