By Kristina Rivera

Every company has its own culture, habits, and rhythms — there is no singular office design that works for everyone. The key to designing functional workplaces that reflect how companies and their employees work is data. 

At CollinsWoerman, we use tailored surveys not just to collect data, but to get to know what matters most to each client, from their habits to their preferences, so we can fully understand their unique office culture. These surveys give us valuable data, but the real insight comes from interpreting that data in context: what employees say they want, how they actually work, and how leadership’s vision aligns with day-to-day reality. 

Surveys are one part of a broader culture discovery process we do with our clients. We conduct team interviews, leadership sessions, and direct observation to build a fundamental understanding of our client’s culture before we begin design. This process helps us see the gaps between what people ask for and what they actually use, which can determine a good workplace and a great one. By combining data with cultural insight, we create workplaces that support the people who use them today and remain adaptable for every version of them in the future. 

“Our culture discovery approach starts with curiosity. We design for the end user, not an agenda, and our goal is always to help clients be successful,” Project Manager and Principal Natasha Morris said. “We listen at multiple levels — individual, team, and organizational — because success is rarely defined by one person. By understanding the whole system, not just a single voice, we can design workplaces that genuinely support how people function and what they need to thrive.” 

From this work, we’ve identified five key considerations for designing office spaces rooted in data: 

1. Understand Why People Come into the Office 

The office shouldn’t copy the home; it should offer what home can’t. People commute in for connection, collaboration, and access to resources they don’t have. That means designing spaces that spark interaction and build community while still supporting individual focus. 

For Bellevue-based accounting firm Clark Nuber, survey data revealed a need for a wide spectrum of spaces to complement new hoteling arrangements. Employees wanted quiet focus zones, collaborative hubs, flexible phone rooms, amenity spaces, game rooms, wellness rooms, and mother’s rooms. The design response wasn’t about one type of employee. It was about designing for every version of every employee, giving them choices depending on the task, the day, or their stage in their career. 

2. Plan for Adaptability from the Start 

Designing spaces that can reconfigure over time is more efficient and effective than creating layouts that only fit today’s staffing model. Adaptability means planning for the next generation of employees and for today’s employees as they evolve in their role and life stage. 

For a Seattle-based engineering firm we’re working with, the survey data suggested staff wanted more private offices, but growth projections showed a need for efficient open workstations. We resolved this gap by designing departments with tiered workspace options that could evolve with staff as they advanced in their careers. Cubicles could easily be swapped for private offices if needed by using a standard grid. This approach embedded adaptability into the plan, providing leadership long-term flexibility and employees a sense of individual growth. 

3. Look at the Data in Context 

Numbers alone don’t tell the whole story. Survey data must be interpreted alongside cultural behavior. For example, we worked with a Seattle-based engineering firm and found 74% of staff requested larger break rooms, yet usage patterns showed most employees ate privately at their desks. Similarly, surveys suggested conference rooms were underutilized, but conversations revealed the real problem: the existing rooms were too large and inconvenient, masking actual demand for smaller, well-designed collaboration spaces. 

The solution was to design break areas that supported better working conditions for employees — smaller, daylight-filled spaces that offered respite — while right-sizing conference rooms for collaboration with purpose. The result was a workplace aligned with both employee preferences and cultural reality. 

4. Design Spaces that Support Well-Being 

Wellness is more than an amenity — it’s foundational to how people experience their workplace. Surveys often surface hidden stressors like poor ergonomics, lack of daylight, or noise distractions. Cultural context then shapes how wellness is expressed through restorative solitude, social engagement, or simply choice in how employees move through the office. 

By embedding wellness into the design, we create workplaces that reduce stress, support mental health, and give employees control over their experience. From quiet zones to ergonomic furniture and daylight access, well-being becomes an everyday part of work. 

5. Incorporate Brand Identity and Story 

A workplace should feel like an authentic extension of the company’s culture and values. Surveys often uncover what employees are proud of, what inspires them, and what connects them to their organization. By reflecting those values in finishes, layouts, and details, we create spaces that feel personal and meaningful. 

When employees see their culture expressed in their workplace, it builds pride, strengthens retention, and reinforces the organization’s mission every day. 

Design for Every Version of Each Employee 

Traditional workplace design assumes static employee types. In reality, individuals shift between roles and workstyles constantly depending on the task, the day, or stage in their career. That’s why our approach isn’t just about designing for categories of employees; it’s about designing for multiple versions of every employee. 

Data shows us how people are working today. Culture discovery tells us why they’re working that way. By combining the two, we ensure our workplaces are responsive and resilient while supporting productivity, well-being, and connection now and into the future. 

“Every organization has its own rhythms,” Natasha said. “Learning those early lets us design spaces that meet people where they are today and evolve with them over time. It is not just about what people want — it is uncovering why they want it and how those needs reflect the deeper, often invisible threads of their culture.” 

Leaders who listen to their culture through data will find their workplaces aren’t just functional, they’re resilient and future ready. View CollinsWoerman’s additional workplace design and check out our latest projects here.