Body and the Senses in Spatial Experience: The Implications of Kinesthetic and Synesthetic Perceptions for Design Thinking

Impact of office light environment on mental health interventions for employees: An investigative analysis

BackgroundThe increasing prevalence of work-related stress and mental health issues has become a global concern, particularly in developing countries. The light environment in office spaces, known to influence both visual and non-visual aspects of health, is a critical factor that needs further exploration for its potential in enhancing employees' psychological well-being.ObjectiveThe aim of our study was to investigate the role of light environments in office spaces in influencing the psychological well-being of employees.MethodsThe study was conducted in 2 office locations in Shanghai and Dalian, China and analyzed data from 235 employees. Data on the effects of the light environment were self-reported by the participants, and the psychological well-being of the employees was measured on 2 dimensions (differences in color perception, and differences in perception between natural dynamic lighting and artificial static lighting). The effects of hue and lightness on employee psychology, and the effects of natural versus conventional static lighting on employee mood were analyzed.ResultsThe findings revealed that the hue and luminance of office spaces significantly affect employees' psychological satisfaction and emotional states. Specifically, natural dynamic lighting, which aligns with the natural photoperiod, was found to effectively reduce negative emotions such as anger and depression, offering a promising intervention for improving mental health in the workplace.ConclusionsThe light environment in office settings plays a significant role in mitigating mental health issues among employees. While the study confirms the positive effects of dynamic lighting on mental health, it also highlights the need for further interdisciplinary research to fully understand the complex mechanisms involved.

Spatial experience of cancer inpatients in the oncology wards: A qualitative study in visual design aspects

PURPOSE

This paper aims to explore how the visual characteristics of cancer wards' interior spaces can be improved based on the combined visual design themes to help cancer inpatients' spatial experience and relieved state of mind. Accordingly, we present a visual design framework that can be applied in oncology wards.

METHOD

This study adopts the Ulrich-supportive design theory as a theoretical framework using two main methodological phases: observation of cancer wards and interviews with professional caregivers. The first phase critically explores hospital cancer wards' interactive aesthetical and visual interior characteristics. Next, we adjusted the visual criteria based on the Post Occupation Evaluation (POE) method to develop the interview questions. Interviews were conducted with experienced nurses, oncologists, and a general physician, all from a cancer ward at McGill University Health Center (MUHC) in Montreal, Canada.

RESULTS

We presented 11 main themes in the categories of color and light, natural/artistic images, way-finding, and visual clutter. To present and justify our visual design framework, these main themes were then classified based on the common goals, resulting in four combined themes: applying simplicity and usability; developing naturality; creating homeyness and respecting patients' agency; and promoting trustworthiness.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that-apart from the last theme, promoting trustworthiness, the rest are in line with Ulrich's supportive design theory. Therefore, further research is needed to investigate "promoting trustworthiness" in the context of cancer wards. In addition, each aspect of the visual design framework can offer practical design recommendations for future studies.

Sensory Perception Mechanism for Preparing the Combinations of Stimuli Operation in the Architectural Experience

Sensory stimuli in an architectural space play an important role in the human perception of the indoor environment, no matter whether they are static or dynamic, isolated, or combined. By enhancing some perceptions in the sensory stimuli, the overall perceptions of an architectural space can be improved, especially for an intelligent architectural space. As yet, there are few studies reported about the sensory perception mechanism for the sensory stimuli operation in the architectural experience. In this research, a wooden micro building was prepared for the study of the sensitivity level of participants to various sensory stimuli in the same and in different sensory domains. Participants’ visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile and kinaesthesia perceptions were discussed statistically in terms of the sensitivity level. Based on the study, the effect of a single dynamic sensory stimulus (a dynamically coloured light) on the participants’ perception was studied in a paper architectural model from two aspects including preference and emotion. The dynamically coloured light was discussed statistically in terms of the level of preference. The study showed that there are significant differences among participants’ levels of sensitivity to the different sensory domains and to the different sensory stimuli. In particular, the sensitivity level to the stimulus that is the colour of a space is the highest of all stimuli. As a single changing sensory stimulus, a dynamically coloured light can lead to significant mood fluctuations and changes in the preference level. In particular, yellow is the favourite colour of light. The object of this study is expected to provide a theoretical foundation that is related to sensory choice, sensory perception enhancement and the combination forms of sensory perceptions. Based on the theoretical foundation, the perception design of overlapped multi-sensory stimuli and a single dynamic stimulus can be conducted to improve the quality of the indoor environment of normal and intelligent multi-sensory architecture.