It's a merch drop. Well, sort of.
Welcome to a social experiment.
We’re taking our research lab out into the field and trying to learn what new tools we need for the work spots — out of office. Our first experiment: the Out of Office Uniform.
Throughout history, uniforms have been about protection and utility—they are the tools for work that we wear closest to us, so close that we rarely think of them as tools at all. But there’s something else special about uniforms—or band merch, or university swag, or any uniquely branded wearable. They help us find each other and create a sense of belonging, blending utility with identity.
After the abrupt interruption of the traditional in-place 9-5 in 2020, working from the comfort of pyjamas became indistinguishable from a pair of slacks. With that, it becomes increasingly difficult to encourage people to leave the comfort of their homes and gather, leaving a generation of remote/hybrid workers feel lonely and uninspired.
THE BRIEF
How can we build permission, purpose, and structure to leave our comfort zones of the home office to foster connections and creative inspiration amongst remote/hybrid workers?
Experiment 001
We’re launching this Out of Office Uniform, giving a generation of lonely remote workers a fashion statement to promote a different way of working and living. It’s a quirky opportunity to make connections with like-minded people, transcend the confines of WFH and digital isolation, and foster genuine human connections. It’s a symbol of belonging to a creative, dynamic network and a unique way to facilitate real-world interaction for freelancers, creatives, and hybrid workers.
How it works?
If two or more members wearing their OOO merch meet up in a café or co-working space, they unlock a pool of funds. It’s as simple as buying each other a coffee, snack, or collaborating on a project.
What’s your go-to coffee order?
For the past 2 months, we co-designed a new uniform for a generation of lonely remote/hybrid workers, which we are now testing in a highly curated cohort in 4 different cities in the US and Europe before launching it publicly.
As an evolution of that, we’re now going beyond the body, into the surrounding space, exploring the needs for coffee shops and communal workspaces.
Sign up for our Post-Offfice Design Session here.
Behind the Scenes
This isn’t just merch. With distributed work leaving us feeling lonely, disconnected and uninspired, we’re interested in new social infrastructures and incentives that work used to provide use as well. That spontaneous coffee that unlocked your project, or the daily small interactions, like a neighborhood nod to your local barista, that make you feel connected and build local ties.
To what end, why?
Okay, secret secondary agenda reveal time. We’re fascinated by third spaces and what comes after the office. There are three things we see this as the first spark for, and what we learn from this experiment helps take the conversation further. Let us know if you have more suggestions, or would be willing to connect us!
Social Infrastructure
What if remote workers became active participants and investors in their neighborhoods for the activities that suited their work and life styles?
We’re curious about:
One Shared House
Index Space
How might we understand what people are looking for nearer to where they live, to shape their neighborhoods?
Urban Development Funding
What if we could invest (either through corporate or grant funding) in places that aren’t currently ideal for co-working and connection?
We’re curious about:
SF Privately Owned Public Spaces
Community Challenge Grants
Upholding Google’s goal to be a helpful neighbor
How might we design these funding mechanisms to be sustainable? What are pre-existing forms of fair governance for fund allocations?
Cyberphysical Belonging
What if there were new models of belonging to a global network while engaging locally?
We’re curious about:
How might we connect in cyberspaces to remote co-workers we share work with, and get to know the remote co-workers who we share space with?
AN OUT OF OFFICE NETWORK x CHAOTIC GOODS PRODUCTION
For any questions of enquiries, reach out to katteralice@gmail.com
