TLDR: Comparing Focus Space Technology: The Complete Guide

If you’re ready to start comparing focus space technology for your evolving workplace, you’re not alone. While creating quiet spaces for focused work isn’t a new concept in office design, the demand for such spaces has increased in recent years. As companies encourage remote and hybrid employees to return to the office, they must provide them with the right distraction-free, productive environments.

Tips and steps for comparing focus space technology

If you’re ready to start comparing focus space technology for your evolving workplace, you’re not alone. While creating quiet spaces for focused work isn’t a new concept in office design, the demand for such spaces has increased in recent years. As companies encourage remote and hybrid employees to return to the office , they must provide them with the right distraction-free, productive environments. When designed correctly, focus spaces do much more than boost productivity. Studies show that up to 41% of office workers believe focus spaces contribute to reduced feelings of stress. Plus, by supporting distraction-free work, focus spaces can promote more efficient individual and collaborative work, reduce workplace errors, and increase employee engagement. So, how do you find the focus space technology to optimize your workplace?

Step 1: Identify the purpose of your focus spaces

Focus spaces can come in many shapes and sizes and are used for different purposes. If you simply want to help individual team members work more effectively on individual work, you might create quiet rooms, focus desks with partitions, or private calling pods. If you’re heavily focused on enhancing in-office meetings, you might create hybrid meeting rooms. These could include audio and video conferencing software, displays, and even immersive collaboration technologies, like extended reality headsets. To define the type of focus space you need to create and the technology it should feature, think carefully about your teams and the kind of work they do each day. Do they attend many hybrid team meetings, host one-on-one conversations with customers, or work on creative projects?

Step 2: Examine your existing resources

Before you start comparing focus space technology or any other new solution for your business, it’s worth taking stock of your existing resources. Building an effective focus space (or multiple) doesn’t always have to mean starting from scratch. You may already have some of the resources you need, such as:

• Software: Collaboration software (like Teams), meeting room booking software, office management tools, hardware tracking technology, and AI assistants.
• Hardware: Headphones and microphones, meeting room kits, cameras, screens or displays, computer systems, smartphones, and tablets.

Evaluating the assets you already have will help you to save money on your focus space investments. Plus, it ensures you’ll be able to select new technology that integrates seamlessly with the systems your employees already use.

Step 3: Start comparing focus space technology for audio masking

While focus spaces can differ in design and function, they’re primarily intended to eliminate distractions and improve employee concentration. Before you start comparing focus space technology to use within your rooms, you need to think about how you can minimize disruptions. This means investing in technology for sound masking and soundproofing. To soundproof an environment, you’ll usually leverage architectural components like screens, walls, and furniture to help minimize the spread of sound waves. For sound masking, you’ll use speaker systems, amplifiers, and software to control the ambiance of a room. These tools allow you to match the frequencies of certain sound waves in focus “zones” to stop sound from conversations and other factors from spreading through an office.

Step 4: Consider your audio technology needs

Many modern focus rooms will require at least some audio technology beyond speakers for sound masking. If your teams spend much time on customer calls or communicating with other remote and hybrid workers, they’ll need microphones, headsets, and speakers. The exact audio technology you need will depend on the purpose of your focus rooms. For instance, if you’re creating rooms or spaces where individuals can have private conversations, it’s best to use headsets and integrated microphones. If you want to ensure multiple people can collaborate and work together in a space, you might choose to install speakerphones and shared microphones. In both instances, it’s worth looking for noise-cancelling capabilities to help minimize distractions. You should also ensure your microphone systems can easily detect voice using AI and other methods to reduce the need for loud speech.

Read the full article here.