IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 22

The
Happiness
Quotient

Designers spend a lot of time
thinking about how to make others
happy-clients, users, stakeholder
groups. We focus on finding specific
solutions to broad problems, and in
the words of Vitruvius, one our chief
goals is to provoke "delight." But how
happy are we?
The last five years have been
tumultuous in the design world. We're
an industry that feels the repercussions
of economic downturns swiftly and
deeply: many firms have suffered
through rounds of layoffs, while others
have frozen hiring. And many designers
who were working found themselves
stuck, unable to get promoted or even
make lateral moves to competing offices.

The results were encouraging,
surprising, and probably a little bit
controversial. Overall, designers at
smaller shops ranked themselves as
happier than their counterparts at larger
firms, though those at larger practices
felt their work had a more positive
broader impact on society. Tenure had
a lot to do with job happiness: designers
that were new to a job or very senior
ranked themselves as the happiest,
while those who'd been at the same
job for 5-8 years were the least satisfied
with their workplace. We may have even
solved an age old question: just how
much more are designers working than
the average 9-5er? (The answer? About
7.5 hours a week, or close to 50 more
days each year.)
We anticipate that the results of this
survey, the first in a series Perspective
is conducting on design impact and
industry, will spark spirited debates
and discussions about the workplace.
We hope firms will be inspired to take
a meaningful look at their own culture,
and consider what they can improve
and change. As an industry, we must
continue to push ourselves. To continue
to attract the most creative, talented
people, design must be seen as an
industry that is not only challenging
but stimulating. A place where people
can not only contribute, but thrive.
A field where one's "HQ" is just as
important as their "IQ."

Finally, this year the fog began to lift.
Mass layoffs seem to be behind us and
firms are once again hiring at healthy
rates. Economic recovery often results
in movement within the industry,
so it feels like a good time to ask: just
how happy are designers?

by

Carrie Neill

Building upon this issue's theme
of REDIRECT, Perspective conducted
a comprehensive survey of over 1,000
design professionals. We asked them
to rate their happiness in terms
of perceived job stability, physical
workspace, and relationships with
co-workers-we even asked if they
felt their workplaces had a positive
impact on society as a whole. Then
we compared this data against different
variables such as firm size, job title,
tenure, and civic involvement.

We asked designers to rate their overall
happiness on a scale from 1-10. (1 being
the least happy, 10 being happiest.) The
average response? Lucky number 7.0.



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013

Contents
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - Cover1
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - Cover2
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 1
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 2
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - Contents
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 4
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 5
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 6
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 7
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 8
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IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - Cover3
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2019fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2019summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2019spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2018fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2018summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2018spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2017fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2017springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2016fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2016springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2015fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2015springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2014fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2014springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2013fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2013springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2012fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2012springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2011fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2011springsummer
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