Context
By 2017, 1.74 million people were working in approximately 14,000 co-working spaces around the world. In London alone, an ever-growing number of startups and small firms in retail, manufacturing, arts, the cultural industries and the digital economy were making creative use of 156 urban spaces through the new practice of co-working.
LABS, an international co-working space company, wanted to provide customers with more than just an unconventional workspace. In the dynamic landscape of a market projected to double by 2022, LABS asked QUALITANCE to design and build a turnkey solution that would enhance people’s autonomy, personal growth, and wellness in the workplace of the future.
Challenge
People demand more and more from the places they work in. While most co-working spaces provided office rooms and logistics, we made it our mission to forge a whole new ecosystem for the workers of the digital era.
Aside from building a digital solution that facilitated all the perks of a cutting-edge office, our focus was to create the effect of an intentional workspace that relieved customers from the burden of managing typical office flows and chores.
In order to maximize their productivity, growth, and well-being, we had to design a solution that could securely integrate microservices related to planning, learning, catering, networking and more. A big challenge was making such services available at all times, including offline.
Solution
In close collaboration with LABS, we created RunSpace – a versatile digital platform that workspace admins can easily manage in the browser and customers can access from their iOS and Android app.
The modular architecture of our cloud-based platform enables admins to tailor a mix of services and resources into customized packages. The platform’s highly intuitive dashboard lets customers view in real-time what rooms are available, regardless of location, and make bookings that synchronize with their native calendar apps. The user-friendly interface also lets customers view the equipment available in each room – everything from chairs and desks to projectors and whiteboards. Additionally, for smoother workflows, the platform connects to office devices such as printers.
As a result of the integration with RunLock – our own IoT solution for seamless access control – customers are recognized by their phones and allowed to enter locked rooms without a key or access card.
Room access control is available even when the internet breaks. We made it possible with the help of an embedded Bluetooth micro-controller, which automatically syncs data with a local server and reestablishes the internet connection, so that room access control is not affected.
RunSpace compliments LABS’ shared working environment with an expert marketplace that supports customers in building their own community. Through the platform, they can find and contact the right collaborators for their business. Our solution manages the networking API so that each and every team and team member benefit from a seamless private Wi-Fi.
The platform was designed to gather data on the customers’ work and productivity patterns and turn them into stats that are visible in the interface. To help them further improve their work routine and boost their productivity, the platform offers an e-coaching service delivered as daily bite-size learnings. Additionally, by integrating with an aggregator of local catering service providers, daily lunches are no longer a reason to worry in the LABS workspace.
To get a real feel of the Runspace experience, check out this video.
Technologies
Node.js, Angular, Docker, Apache CouchDB, Amazon Web Services
