Take a look at this cool video and see passersby having the time of their lives in a faux office workstation in a very unusual setting. This is probably the first time anyone has used cubicles to create a psychological experiment that doubles as street theater. YouTube user JPAndreoni set up a cubicle complete with a fake phone and computer on the sidewalk of a busy city street. His team even added a water cooler to solidify the impression of being in a typical office environment.
He developed this concept to explore the idea that folks in Western societies feel most comfortable interacting with each other in a work setting. To quote JP, “By placing a work related object in the public space I created a “safe zone” for people to socialize and/or network without feeling awkward.” It certainly had the desired effect!
