COWORKING
WELL
SOCIAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING
VANESSA GENNARELLI
@mozzadrella

Hi, I’m Vanessa. I <3
My yoga mat
Social learning
Community

Let’s talk about...
1
2
3
Coworking
Positive
Optimum
DESIGN PSYCHOLOGY EXPERIENCE

What is
COWORKING?
1

BRAD NEUBERG, 2005
SHARED SPACE FOR REMOTE
WORKERS

1,800 SPACES WORLDWIDE

SPACE + VALUES

FULL DISCLOSURE
Indyhall
WorkBar
New Work City
Philadelphia
Boston
New York
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-Now

Was my experience
unique?
Let’s
FIND OUT...
2

RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
• Can we demonstrate that coworking spaces
expand human potential?
• In these coworking spaces, which interaction
design principles nurture excellent,
engaging, ethical work?

RESEARCH
DESIGN
• 7 interviews with coworking space founders or
community managers on the East Coast
• 5 site visits
• Protocol focused on organizational culture,
learning design and governance
• Emic coding system (research nerd speak)

But first....
A BIT OF
THEORY
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POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY =
HUMANS DON’T SUCK

FLOW!
Mihály Csíkszentmihályi
• Happiness=
complete
absorption in
a task
• Right mix of
challenge
and mastery

MINDSETS!
• Intelligence is
not static
• How you
think about
your ability is
a better
predictor of
what you’ll
accomplish
Carol Dweck

GOOD WORK!
Howard Gardner
• Good Work =
excellent,
ethical,
engaging
• Ethics:
determined
by the field
• Importance of
mentorship

4
FINDINGS!

FINDINGS!
• Horizontal sharing / mixing
• Differences in recruitment and
onboarding
• Discipline and governance
• Sustainability

RECRUITMENT

SOCIALIZATION &
ONBOARDING

SPACE DESIGN

DISCIPLINE
• Peer-to-peer
or top-down

DISCUSSION
• Correlation between emergent
culture and low dismissals
• Correlation between mixed
desks and skills learned
• Open question: emergent
culture and sustainability

Let’s keep learning...
VANESSA GENNARELLI
@MOZZADRELLA
MOZZADRELLA.ME