What the heck is human-centered and data driven design, and how can it help you in your interior design business? Chrissy Fehan and Sarah Davis of Pophouse are here to fill us in on the importance of designing space with a human-centered perspective, and how the physical environment can have a positive impact on individuals. They’ll also share how this approach informed the Rock Ventures Headquarters, recently featured and on the cover of Interior Design magazine’s 90th anniversary edition.
Sarah has over 17 years of experience working in business intelligence. She has performed extensive research in workplace strategy and has been instrumental in developing the strategy that informs the design for many Pophouse projects. Chrissy leads an interiors and industrial design team and oversees all brand strategy. Prior to her current role, Chrissy was an industrial designer and created numerous pieces of furniture, lighting, reception desks and outdoor spaces.
***
⭐️Chrissy and Sarah pride themselves on doing unconventional strategic and human-centered design. They use different types of evidence obtained from clients via interviews, surveys, and observations to understand how clients need to function in space. This combined with external research is used to drive their design. They believe spaces can positively impact people - how they interact, how they engage with each other. The space needs to be beautiful and aesthetically thoughtful, but if people can’t function in this space, it misses the mark. Chrissy and Sarah work to bring beauty and function together.
⭐️Pophouse thrives on a particular set of systems and processes that can be catered to different clients. The process usually begins with data collection, including client surveys and observation. Pophouse has also created mock settings for clients to utilize, and led focus groups. Talking to their clients in this manner helps gather feedback, which the clients are very willing to give because they care about the space they’re sitting in. To learn more about the teams they design for, Chrissy and Sarah gather information such as org charts, cultural documents, mission statements, core values, and more. They pair these internal findings with external discovery like benchmarking, research, and academic work. All of this information serves as the foundation for the design project and ultimately acts as a North Star to follow for the duration of the project.
⭐️Chrissy says that niching down their business has helped Pophouse in many ways. It has allowed them to bring on the proper team members that they need, and to grow their business. They are better able to see their future goals and pivot them around their clients’ needs. It’s helped them laser focus more - they aren’t stretched between many different types of design. Niching down has also helped Pophouse more thoughtfully select their clients and make sure their cultures align. Sarah explains that, even when niching down their business, there is still lots of diversity within the commercial office design space. Whether they’re designing a commercial office for a tech team, a marketing team, or a sales team, they all look totally different as the needs for each team vary. Chrissy explains that the scale of projects differs as well. Sometimes they take projects where they help a smaller client’s brand be visualized through their space.
***
📲CONNECT with Chrissy & Sarah:
Website: https://pophouse.design
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pophousedesign/
📲CONNECT with Darla:
Darla’s Interior Design Website: https://darlapowell.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darlapowellhome/
📚Resources & People Mentioned:
“Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead" by Brené Brown
"Identity Designed: The Definitive Guide to Visual Branding" by David Airey
🏠FOLLOW Wingnut Social:
Website: http://www.wingnutsocial.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WingnutSocial/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wingnutsocial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wingnutsocial/
Wingnut Webinars: https://wingnutsocial.com/webinar
Get Wingnut Academy Updates: https://wingnutsocial.com/wingnut-academy/
🎧SUBSCRIBE to The Wingnut Social Podcast:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3RJzmtK
Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/designedongooglepodcasts
TuneIn: https://bit.ly/designedontunein YouTube: https://bit.ly/designedonyoutube
How to Create Social Videos and Blow up Your Business (with Susan & Paul Kadilak)
YouTube Handles: Everything You Need To Know | Mini News
Can I Add a Voiceover to My YouTube Shorts? | Mini News
Branding Your Interior Design Business (with Katie Saunders)
A New Instagram Update is Reinventing the DM | Mini News
Curating Meaningful Art for Your Interior Design Clients (with Liz Lidgett)
Is Instagram Releasing a ”Repost” Feature? | Mini News
Building Community Through Interior Design (with Maryline Damour & Jennifer Salvemini)
The New iPhone 14 Pro: Is It Worth It? | Mini News
Why Trademarks are Crucial for Interior Designers (with Nicole Swartz)
How to Create Viral Instagram Reels | Mini News
How Mindset is the Difference Between Success and Failure (with Michael Unbroken)
How eDesigners Can Win Prizes (with Jenna Gaidusek) - Bonus Episode 282
Why Interior Designers Need Systems and Processes - Episode 281
Goal-Setting Strategies for Interior Designers - Episode 280
How to Apply the Profit First Mindset with Mike Michalowicz - Episode 279
Business Tips for New Interior Designers - Episode 278
The Interior Designer’s Guide to the Remote Hiring Process - Episode 277
How Maria Killam Grew to 100k+ Instagram Followers - Episode 276
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Dear Alice | Interior Design
99% Invisible
The John Clay Wolfe Show
Grimms’ Fairy Tales
The Count of Monte Cristo
Creative Pep Talk
How to Decorate