Enhancing Well-Being for Hybrid Workers at Home: Using Light to Promote Healthier Work Behaviours and Habits
2026 (English)Independent thesis Advanced level (degree of Master of Fine Arts (Two Years)), 20 credits / 30 HE credits
Student thesis
Sustainable development
SDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, SDG 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all, SDG 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation
Abstract [en]
Approximately one-third of an average individual's lifetime is spent working, highlighting the importance of working conditions and how the work is performed. Although the COVID-19 pandemic did not introduce hybrid work, it has become increasingly common today, to the extent that office-based work without it is almost impossible to imagine.
There are several benefits to hybrid work, especially when working from home, such as greater flexibility and better focus. However, insights from this project indicated that work-life boundaries may become blurred, making it more challenging to maintain routines and keep good posture throughout the workday, among other factors. From the survey, semi-structured interviews and home visits, it was found that regardless of how well-equipped a workspace is, it is ultimately work behaviours and habits that determine how work is performed. Sitting or standing while working on the computer without regular breaks can lead to health issues, negatively affecting our well-being through sleep disturbances, fatigue, and musculoskeletal discomfort. To prevent this from happening, the final solution was developed through human-centered design and behavioural design to explore how design can influence behaviours and decision-making to improve well-being.
The final solution resulted in a light-based system that uses light to promote healthier work behaviours and habits, particularly related to breaks, movement, and ergonomics, to improve well-being, with a focus on hybrid workers working from home. Nomi, the lamp, is illuminated in different colours to signal different meanings. For instance, green light signals taking a walk, and blue light encourages stretching. This solution has the potential to enhance the well-being of hybrid workers, benefiting companies and society in the long term from both economic and social perspectives.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2026. , p. 72
Keywords [en]
Design Process, Well-being, Hybrid Work, Working from Home
National Category
Design
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-149161OAI: oai:DiVA.org:lnu-149161DiVA, id: diva2:2093771
Subject / course
Design
Educational program
Innovation through Business, Engineering and Design - specialisation design, Master Programme, 120 credits
Supervisors
Examiners
2026-08-282026-08-192026-08-28Bibliographically approved