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From: mcgregor@hemlock.Atherton.COM (Scott McGregor)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: Life in CubicleLand
Message-ID: <24453@athertn.Atherton.COM>
Date: 25 May 90 17:51:11 GMT
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Sender: news@athertn.Atherton.COM
Reply-To: mcgregor@hemlock.Atherton.COM (Scott McGregor)
Organization: Atherton Technology -- Sunnyvale, CA
Lines: 95

I've commented elsewhere in this news group about our observations
concerning noise and white noise
masking devices.  It seems this is maybe a good place to discuss our
observations concerning
cubicles.  As noted by several people, cubicles are the subject of much
religious fervor, because
people care very much about their immediate work environment and because
people have different
working styles, some with strong habitual bases due to previous working
envrionments.

Some things to pay attention to with cubicles is the number of walls you
have, freedom of orientation of
the working area within the cubicle, and the height of the walls.  While
noise abatement and distraction
are frequently discussed when evaluating cubicles, visual distraction is
an important part of work too,
and less frequently discussed.  In many cubicle settings you don't have
the same lighting level controls
that you would have in an individual office.  Typically lighting levels
are chosen to make walking
in the aisles safe, or to satisfy the needs for an "average lighting
level".  Unfortunately,
computer screens are often reflective and subject to glare.  Lower light
levels (and recessed lights)
are often preferred by many people when using a computer screen.  On the
other hand, considerable
office work involves reading papers, and many people require a higher
light level to do this well.
It is often difficult to find a compromise that satisfies everyone.

The number of walls and possible desk orientations are important for
managing visual distractions.
Movement in one's peripheral vision is often much more distracting when
reading or concentrating
on abstract problems that most people realize, but it can be easily
discovered through tests.
(The complaints noted here about people concentrating so intently that
they are startled by 
people "sneaking up" behind them attests to the strength of these
concentrated mental states of "flow".
Cubicles with 4 high walls allow one to minimize visual distraction the
most, especially when
entrances to cubicles are staggered or otherwise visually blocked. 
Positioning one's working areas
so that there are areas where your back is to the opening to the aisle
when you need to concentrate
are important, areas that are open may be good for work where you may
want to invite more collaboration.

Higher cubicle walls not only discourage conversation over cubicle
walls, but they can block out 
visual distractions of people walking by or standing up in their own
cubicles.   Most cubicles
wall heights are in multiples of 1/2 feet tall.  Cubicle walls that are
5 1/2 feet tall seem
to be particularly common, but there is an not well understood problem
with cubicles these heights.
People who choose this height often like it because it is high enough
that most of the time they will
not see people walking or in other cubicles if they are sitting in a
cubicle, but they can stand up
and (possibly on their toes) look around and see if other people are in
nearby cubicles or walking 
around.  If necessary they can stand up and lean over and talk to the
person in the next cubicle.  

Unfortunately this actually introduces an unfortunate sexual bias.  In
our office study the average
height of males was 5' 9", the average height of the females was 5'3". 
We observed that only the
taller people, mainly males were able to take advantage of this ability
to look around over the
cubicles, and to talk over the cubicles.  Unfortunately, the people who
were not tall enough
(mainly females) were often annoyed that these conversations over
cubicle walls kept occuring
since they never initiated such conversations themselves, but were
regularly subjected to them.
The also frequently didn't like people leaning over and looking into
their cubicles, since this
was something they never did.   This problem did not occur in cubicles
with 5 feet walls
(where there was more visual distraction for everyone) or with cubicles
that were 6' or 6'6"
tall.  Of course average heights vary not only with sex but also with
racial characteristics,
so this could affect the cubicle levels at which this problem is
observed in different regions of the world.
Our recommendation was to adopt the higher cubicle heights.

Hope this was interesting info to some of you.

Scott McGregor
mcgregor@atherton.com