ENHANCING OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY AND WORKPLACE INCLUSION BY REDESIGNING SPACES AND PROCESSES TO SUPPORT NEURODIVERGENT TEAM.
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REST is a startup and creative reuse center based in Mortsel (BE).
The organization is dedicated to environmental sustainability and social inclusion, providing employment opportunities for neurodivergent staff.
As a Space and Service Design Consultant, I worked to align the organization’s physical environment with its inclusive mission, ensuring that the workspace fosters both operational efficiency and personal well-being.
The primary challenge was to redesign the donation service flow and the physical layout to reduce the high cognitive load experienced by the staff.
The lack of structured procedures and an intuitive spatial organization created bottlenecks and uncertainty.
My goal was to create a predictable, accessible, and high-functioning work environment that empowers neurodivergent employees to perform their tasks with full autonomy.
OBSERVATIONS
INTERVIEWS
NEURODIVERGENT
RESEARCH
BENCHMARKING
USER SURVEYS
CO-CREATION
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Using the Double Diamond methodology, I conducted an in-depth Discovery phase:
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Shadowing & Observation: Analyzed daily routines to identify sensory triggers and logistical friction points.
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Expert Interviews: Collaborated with neurodiversity specialists and job coaches (e.g., Onbeperkt jobstudent) to understand specific accessibility needs.
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Service Mapping: Documented the journey of a donated object from intake to the sales floor to pinpoint where the process was failing.
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Benchmarking: Comparative study of Kringwinkel’s donation flows to implement industry best practices.
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The service was divided between three main areas: the Shop, the Workshop, and the Basement (Storage).
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Service: The donation process was conducted with no clear sorting criteria.
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Spaces: Materials often accumulated near the elevator and in transit zones (shop-workshop link), creating physical barriers and visual overstimulation, which hindered the team's ability to focus and move safely.
BASEMENT
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Limited basement accessibility due to high volumes of unsorted inventory and old furniture.
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Primary users:
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Co-founders need to streamline internal communication and standardize organizational behavior.
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A neurodivergent team requires predictability, clear communication, and an organized sensory environment.
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Secondary users: Local community members (Donors/Customers) who contribute to a circular economy.
Phase A | Service Design: Standardizing the flow
The Problem: The absence of a defined process for handling donations led to operational stress, "bottlenecks," and a lack of autonomy for the neurodivergent staff.
The Solution: I redesigned the Service Blueprint, breaking down the complex donation-to-sale cycle into 7 predictable, visual steps. Suggested division of the tasks between staff and created a task calendar.
Prototype: Created an "Inclusive visual guide" using visual thinking principles (QR code for tutorial, photos, and simplified text) to support daily tasks.
Testing: Conducted "Walkthrough" tests with the team to validate the clarity of icons and sequences, ensuring the staff could complete the process with 100% autonomy.
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Phase B | Space Design: The Warehouse mirroring
The Problem: The basement was an inaccessible "deadlock" of clutter. Without a sorting area or organized storage, the staff was overwhelmed by the physical environment.
The Solution: A Two-Phase Spatial Recovery
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Immediate Relief: Established a "Temporary sorting area" in the workshop to bypass the basement congestion.
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Basement Recovery: Cleared old furniture and donation items, and implemented a "Mirroring Strategy": the warehouse now follows the same 12-category system as the shop floor.
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The "Donation waiting desks": A dedicated buffer zone designed to manage incoming items without disrupting the organized workflow.
Phase C | The "Black Basket" System & Categorization
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Unified Categorization: To ensure the success of these solutions, I introduced a clear categorization system designed to streamline tasks and significantly reduce the staff's daily cognitive workload.
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The "Black Basket" System: Beyond being a sustainable reuse strategy, each basket is assigned to one of the 12 categories, utilizing the same visual language found in the wayfinding system. This ensuring the staff always has a familiar visual reference
The Result: A significantly calmer sensory environment, reduced transit times, and a scalable inventory system that mirrors the shop’s layout.
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Project timeline:
February 2025– April 2025
Team size: Solo project