ASID Releases Study on Designing for Privacy

Washington, DC, Jun. 2--The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), the leading professional organization representing the interests of interior designers, has released a new report, In the Open: How Design Can Protect Privacy. The report investigates acoustic, visual and data privacy in a variety of commercial settings, ranging from offices, call centers, health care environments and public libraries to federal government agencies. In her foreword to the report, ASID President Linda Elliott Smith, FASID, points out that advances in information and communication technology, workplace changes, growing surveillance, skyrocketing rates of identity theft, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other legislation are impacting the way designers work. "Some have called privacy one of the defining issues of the new century," Smith says. "As this paper shows, designers have a key role in making sure that people's experience of privacy is a positive one." The report is based on current research on privacy issues and interviews with experts in both interior design and the various settings in which privacy has become a major concern. The report identifies factors that have brought privacy issues to the forefront, summarizes key research on the impact of privacy on human behavior and efficiency, describes developments in U.S. and international privacy policy to protect the public's interest, and initiates discussion of how designers can create interiors with privacy in mind. According to the experts interviewed, seven overarching design principles exist to ensure privacy in any interior environment. 1. Be aware of the factors prompting interest in privacy. Designers should learn about privacy-related laws and consider privacy-related trends. 2. Research clients' privacy needs. These needs can differ among different organizations and settings. Designers must determine who the users of the space are and what activities will take place in the space. 3. Enhance acoustic privacy. Collaboration with acoustical experts is necessary to ensure sound is blocked, absorbed or covered. 4. Enhance visual privacy. Designers need to consider ways to prevent visual distractions and to keep sensitive information from view, which is particularly critical in health care environments (per HIPAA). 5. Ensure data privacy. Designers need to consider the means to shield computer screens from public view and to protect data from interception-a tremendous concern today. 6. Balance privacy and other needs. Designers need to balance the need for privacy and supervision in different work environments. 7. Protect clients' privacy. Designers must comply with privacy laws, which differ internationally. Design firms also should establish privacy policies and procedures to ensure their employees understand their responsibilities to clients and to the firm. Once designers assess clients' privacy needs, four main strategies should be used to ensure these needs are met. Space planning--Designers can plan space to provide inhabitants' privacy-for themselves and from others. Furniture--Today, privacy-enhancing furniture goes well beyond the standard office workstation. A variety of options are available to provide visual privacy for inhabitants. Surfaces--A variety of surface treatments can help protect acoustical and visual privacy. Sound masking--Because overheard conversations are a top distraction in the workplace, designers often use sound masking systems that electronically produce background sound that's barely noticeable, but loud enough to render nearby conversations unintelligible.

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