As an introduction in Commercial Design II we have been reviewing the way that people with different personality types view interior spaces. The floor plan of a home or business can be influenced by personality, introverted may prefer more walls and separated spaces, while extroverted types are more likely to enjoy open concept and more social space.
For commercial spaces, a good solution for employee areas can be individual work spaces with collaboration areas and spaces for mixing whether they are formal or informal and on neutral territory. For the assessment of the waiting area space plan we provided, the waiting area has been changed to be more aware of different personality preferences. At first I went with a space that reflected my introverted nature and focused solely on privacy to help relieve some nerves about visiting the center. After review and research I found that this could actually increase the nerves of extroverted patients who may actually find more comfort in a more socially oriented space.
The notable change to the original waiting area which was focused around patient privacy only and catered to introverted types is shown at left in the image. The loveseats were only included to provide for bariatric patients, not for close sitting. The revised area includes zones with facing open seating to accommodate patients that are more extroverted and open. For these patients conversation can be a way to overcome some of the anxiety that these appointments can produce, rather than adding to and compounding anxiety with the social aspect. It would also make sense to make this area have a bit more color or “louder” patterns as well. As a byproduct there is also more total available seating in the space.
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