Under The Microscope

- Ken Shulman

Haworth’s research team uses cutting edge tools to understand how humans interact with environments. For an ongoing study on how acoustical distractions affect performance, subjects take on cognitive tasks at a computer (above) while devices record their eye movements, facial expressions, galvanic responses, and heart rate (opposite). 

In the mid-1990s, Haworth embarked on an extensive research project that explored new design possibilities in light of seismic shifts in technology. JeffReuschel, the company’s global director of design and innovation, led an internal think tank of workplace scientists, designers, ergonomists, and analysts charged with developing forward-thinking products—like Crossings, an early mobile furniture system—and more speculative concepts—such as Flo and Mind’Space, two (of several) workstation prototypes premised on the groundbreaking idea of “cognitive ergonomics.” In 2001, the Museum of Modern Art even included Mind’Space in its Workspheres exhibition. The project’s themes reflected the exhibition’s own, as summed up by curator Paola Antonelli: “Like a bubble of pure concentration that one can turn on and off with or without the help of tangible tools, work is where you are.”