Neuro-Connect: From Toolkit to Global Design Standard for Neurodiversity
While the term “neurodiversity” has become part of the common consciousness, neurodivergent conditions and symptoms are still widely misunderstood.
The workplace is no exception. Built environments such as offices are usually designed without considering the impact small choices have on neurodivergent individuals, whether employees, customers, or other parties. Which design elements have the greatest negative effect on neurodivergent individuals, and how can workplaces be better designed to suit their needs?
One team of psychologists set out to find the answer, with such success that their initiative impacted the British Standards Institute’s global design standard for neurodiversity.
This work by business psychologists at Arup was submitted to the ABP’s Workforce Experience Awards, which recognises outstanding accomplishments in Business Psychology. Their submission is summarised below.
Research, Investigation, and Diagnosis
After an in-depth literature review, the psychologists identified the Job Demands-Resources (JDR) Model as an evidence-based framework applicable to the project. The JDR Model describes how physical environments can either be resources that enhance wellbeing, or demands that hinder capabilities.
The team then investigated which elements of common workplace design can be more of a negative demand than a positive resource for neurodivergent individuals. To do so, they interviewed neurodivergent individuals to identify specific environmental issues, including:
- Lighting
- Ventilation
- Noise levels
- Spatial organisation
With a comprehensive understanding of which design choices negatively impact both neurodivergent employees and customers, the team could have delivered a list of design recommendations. But more was needed for successful adoption.
Developing and Delivering the Neuro-Connect Toolkit
The psychologists developed the Neuro-Connect toolkit, which included several components designed to raise awareness, foster empathy, and facilitate organisational readiness.
Along with practical suggestions for adjusting space design, the toolkit included five personas that represented a variety of neurodiverse experiences. These brought to life the difficulties neurodiverse individuals face in built environments, encouraging stakeholders to view spaces through a neurodiverse lens.
The team also created a Virtual Reality (VR) platform, through which stakeholders could experience the reality of environmental stress triggers, raising awareness of the impact design can have on neurodivergent employees and customers.
Workshops were also held with clients, engineers, and SMEs to promote neuro-inclusivity, emphasise the positive impact that inclusivity has on businesses, and collect feedback that enabled them to meet their client’s needs.
The entrants identified four key steps in successfully delivering their toolkit to clients:
- Research: Based on data analytics, they identified the most crucial areas for change.
- Simulate: Using immersive tools, such as eye tracking and biometric mapping, the psychologists simulated for stakeholders the challenges of the neurodivergent experience.
- Analyse: By collecting biometric datasets from scenario testing, they generated actionable insights for design and operational changes.
- Educate: The team raised awareness among stakeholders to better support both neurodivergent employees and customers.
Key Outcomes
The Programme’s initial goal was achieved, in that the client saw the value of the proposed changes and adopted the design recommendations.
Even more notably, based on this project, the British Standards Institute invited the team of psychologists to contribute to a new global design standard for neurodiversity, with the aim of changing building design across the country.
To read more about this project, including “lessons learned” shared by the entrants, look out for the ABP’s upcoming release of three Workforce Experience Awards books, full of similarly notable Business Psychology case studies.