In a world where the lines between work and home have become increasingly blurred, it's more important than ever that our physical spaces become our safe havens.
Whether it’s responding to an email in the middle of bathtime, or texting your boss during date night, we are all guilty of relenting on some of life’s most sacred boundaries. Unsurprisingly, working women have inevitably bared the brunt of life’s burdens in the post-pandemic era - no longer can we seamlessly switch between employee and manager to mother and partner, and in this process we have unfortunately become more ‘available’ than ever.
What’s more, many of the traditional products that we use to work (i.e: laptops, monitors and webcams) do not look seamless or beautiful in the home. But as a designer, these are the types of challenges that we relish, as our team at Google constantly design new innovations to complement modern needs and behaviours.
Part of what we need to do as designers is to listen to what people say but also observe what they do. In our early research of the recently-launched Pixel Tablet, we saw the majority of tablet users placing their devices in drawers instead of keeping them out. So we set out to make a tablet that looks beautiful and could sit in any room in the home, taking cues from natural materials and items that are often found in people’s homes. For example, ceramics were a key inspiration for this device, the coating of which is super soft, but also matte. It looks beautiful on my dresser drawer, and doesn’t interfere with the soft, minimalist aesthetic in my home.
Our design strategy at Google demands that our products are human, optimistic and daring. As a working mother myself, it’s important that my technology also allows me to set boundaries and prioritise self-care and wellness.
With this in mind, here are my top tips:
The average commute for Londoners is 45 minutes. For those that have moved out of the city post-pandemic, this can often be twice as long. Personally, I like to use this time to be productive. With the new Pixel Fold, I can split my screen- dragging and dropping from Google Photos into Gmail, or planning a vacation away in Google Docs while browsing hiking trails on Search. Quite simply, this means that I can spend time on the train or bus getting these annoying tasks out of the way, so that when I get home I can shut the door on work for the evening and spend time doing what I love.
If you are going to have tech in your bedroom, make sure it doesn’t distract, and try to keep work items like laptops in monitors in other rooms. This makes you less tempted to respond quickly to an email before bed, and allows you to fully disconnect. Our Pixel Tablet in porcelain is the perfect example of a soft and peaceful colour that complements any serene space. The screen’s brightness also adapts to the level of light within any room, so it serves as the perfect alarm clock in the morning for those who aren’t early birds...
Set boundaries for when you are available. As a busy working woman, I swear by the ‘bedtime’ features on Pixel. This means I can set times when my technology prompts me to wind down for bed, and silences all my notifications. For example, the other day I was catching up with the new season of The Witcher on my Pixel Tablet and the entire screen went black and white from 9.30pm, reminding me that it’s time to switch to a book and relax in time to get a good night’s rest.
Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet were conceived to enhance productivity with personal AI and allow users to reclaim valuable minutes in their day to spend time doing the things that make them happy. Technology has in years past been categorised as the ‘enemy of productivity’, but never before have we had so many tools at our disposal to not only boost productivity, but ultimately encourage us to switch off and live in the present moment.
The fact of the matter is, if this means I spend less time Keeping up with the Kardashians, and more time with my Gua sha, I’m ok with that!
The Pixel Tabletand Pixel Fold are currently available to purchase on the Google Store.