Interview w/ Traci Wilbanks @ Vendavo

Traci Wilbanks

- Senior Technical Writer at Vendavo

- former middle school teacher

http://www.linkedin.com/in/traciwilbanks

Irrigation

- many office buildings lack the infrastructure we'd need for irrigation

- most commercial buildings don't have spigots on the side

- water source?

- people could water by hand --> community (not mechanical) effort

Business

- most office buildings are leased --> companies may not have the authority to alter rooftop

- recruiters and salespeople see the value of a community space

- engineers are less likely to see that value --> have deadlines to meet, bosses don't encourage laissez-faire work style

- engineers like to get something tangible out of a community-building experience (ex. origami making session --> they leave with something they created)

- parallel: have the garden produce ingredients for company food

- first priority is to get management on board

VENgarden / ideas

- 7 people actively involved

- allows garden fans to pursue gardening at work

- educational for those with little experience

- start with seedlings instead of seeds --> start with momentum ("like adding tips to a half-full tip jar rather than an empty one")

- people who are actively involved still participate in bad weather

- give kits -- "Earth Boxes" -- container on wheels, comes with instructions

- hand out to different departments

- start with different plants

- professional gardener/landscaper can stop by occasionally to give lessons

- talks from other professionals (chefs, yoga instructors, bird watchers, etc.) can vary depending on season

Company Culture

- don't want to overwhelm with new initiatives (want to ramp up instead)

- empowering people is the greatest way of getting people buying into the idea

- if it's too packaged, too slick, then it's like Big Brother

- Vendavo Olympics forced cross-pollination in random teams (parallel: assigned seating)

- allows people to talk to each other more easily in business

- easier work life

- life/work balance is like a seesaw --> the "work" part is taken care of, but the "life" part is neglected

Interview on - PROTOTYPE 1

Interview with Cynthia Roberts
-previously lawyer
-then stay at home mom
now very involved with community, gardening, landscaping, composting etc.

Type up:
Parcourse
-these bars and exercise very simple things they put up in parks years back for people on workout circuits.
-very simple things - like a slanted board, pull up bar etc
-has directions on it for basic, intermediate and advanced - so as people get more fit, they know how many and of what to do

-if people are healthy - they are definitely more productive, less absenteeism etc

-if you are making it for an office, as a company, you should come to the company and interview people on site
-a little more organic - so people buy into it
-as HR - find needs of that specific group of people
-make each roof specialized
-from experience - if people are more involved in the design, they are much more invested in it

-stormwater runoff is a big issue - is often wasted and can cause flooding
-so keep it on roof, wont have to pump water for gardening

-people in community garden
-what they are wearing is important
-have an office supply hut - with gloves, hats, tools, sunscreen etc

-once a week lecture - come and learn about tomatoes this week! make it more of a class thing, because a lot of people don't know about planting vegetables etc

-could start extra plants - come and we'll give you seeds to take home!
-like classes, free stuff is great
-people dont know how to grow them by themselves

-Water very calming
-stream with rills, water feature, mesmerizing

-->
think about what kind of space - some offices might do better with an "unplugged zone" - exercise and relaxation, yoga, quiet space.
-vs some might want more productive outdoor workspace, to pace while on phone convos etc
-wifi or not
-company could decide
-fun a test of two weeks and see what people best respond to

-stuff with your hands helps your brain
-its important to do things other than virtual - to get the brain and body interaction

-cooking demonstrations outside

-grow hops up the side of the building
--beer brewing after work

-using energy created by machines for something fun (see video below)

-grape arbor for shade on one corner

-compost bins - for lunch stuff and garden waste
-make sure it is well contained and taken care of

-native plant garden
-so hot right now
-to support local insects and birds, because if there are foreign plants local animals and wildlife cant survive

-knitting circles, cards - whatever the specific groups within the office need
-really make it specific - in terms of types of tables and spaces etc

-badmitton

-smoothing or juice bar

-event/themed lunches - to encourage people to start using the space and appreciating it
-with stuff from the garden

-music on occasion - like live trios

-cocktail hour on occasion - to make people really involved and connected with the space

-breakfast - if they want to show up, exercise
--to build it into your day, since routine is so important
-providing clothes? or somewhere to shower? <-- making use of the rainwater?
-or lockers where people can put their stuff
-or have their workout clothes washed for them there

-heat lamps in winter

-heated under mat

-outdoor fireplace - for cocktail hours and winters etc

HILARIOUS bike video - with stripper! MUST WATCH

Hilarious commercial by exercise bike company

Outdoor exercise

outdoor yoga
Quote about being tethered to a phone...

NYTimes article - outdoor yoga

More about doing yoga outdoors in the city - benefits, movements

great quote:  “I know it’s the city, but it is still fresh air, which is important with an exercise that works so much on breathing,” Rebecca Weible, a co-owner, said. “It’s nice not to be in the air-conditioned office air.”

The outdoor gym

Rooftop garden research

Rain gardens
incorporating natural water
-more information about the meaning/significance of water runoff
-slowing and reducing water run-off and storing it/delivering when needed to the garden

rooftop zen garden

innovative solar designs
ideas of combining our rooftop with innovative solar power
Using these as shades
Working them into our plan to create a rooftop office space - give power to laptops
Make it pay for itself?
#Business

rooftop veggies
in kiddie pools!!

hells kitchen rooftop veggies
More on the hells kitchen rooftop garden from above

Business Week green roofs
(BUSINESS PLAN!!)

Business week article on green roofs!
Summary of points:
currently majority of residential and commercial roofs are black, and these drive up air conditioning bills significantly (because of retaining heat)
Roofs covered in foliage help insulate in winter and cool it in the summer
They also clean the air, reduce water runoff
They can last 3x longer because they limit damage due to temperature and ultraviolet rays

examples of rooftop gardens

tokyo rooftop gardens

The soil on the rooftop works as a layer of insulation to the building. The extra layer of insulation is able to keep the heat inside a building or block the heat rays when needed. It is calculated that if half of the available rooftop space in Tokyo were planted on that the outside temperature would decrease between.11 and.84 degrees Celsius. This tiny change in temperature would actually lead to the savings of one hundred million yen a day in the city’s electrical bill. Another way that rooftop gardens saves the property owner money is through the increased life of the rooftop. This is the New York Times take on sustainable gardening.

----This is quite interesting! business aspect

New york times article referenced above

New plans : THE ROOFTOPS

THE OFFICE GARDEN

getting physically active - fresh air and outdoors important

-building community, providing a social outlet

-promoting healthy eating and a knowledge of food

-doing something productive

-sense of accomplishment

-sustainable - replanting

-mental & physical health

-company/workers spending less on food

-roof-->stairs-->activity

-need an appropriate space

produce to kitchen vs take home a box like an actual community garden

-schedule - accountability - to garden, to community, to others, to responsibilities and commitments

USER: company/office with access to roof

*mental health and productivity of their workers = the tbenefit

-->

get people interested in gardening, encourage them to do it at home -->more activity

-pedal powered irrigation

user: california, local, moderate climate

HOW TO UTILIZE A ROOF SPACE - all ideas

yoga

workout equipment - for people who want to exercise outside

park

running track

lunches up there

exercise classes and fun classes (like boxing) - at convenient times

repelling

rock climbing

a pool

basketball courts

weights

geocaching

nutrition classes

speakers (people talking

music - make it a party venue (mandatory dance breaks?)

communal art projects

party!

solar powered pizza oven - grow tomato sauce

pole caulting

slacklining

quicksand pit

base jumping

workspaces on the roof - outdoor outlets

post work coctail hour

______***focuses** - getting people generally more active by utilizing roof spaces

-community

-positive incentives

-accountability

-mental health

Card readers in elevator - charge you for taking it - or positive incentives for tagging at top and bottom of stairs

POV 

9-5 workers whose jobs keep them inside and inactive for a majority of the day need a way to increase activity outside because their mental and physical health and productivity suffer from their current lifestyles

**in a world where buildings have unused, or badly utilized, roofspace

Main insights:

-fresh air is important to: enjoying exercise, feeling the benefits of physical, improving mental health

-exercise that produces secondary tangible results is more attractive than exercise for the sake of exercise - more motivating

-accountability is a motivation (to others, a community, larger than yourself)

-rewards are motivation (tangible, monetary)

-community/social aspect is more important for people who are not currently inclined to an active lifestyle

-time well spent/time in general is really important

-pride is motivating/rewarding (people feel proud when they are active and fit)

-walking more is a big step for people not exercising

-visual appearance and office dress standards can prevent exercise/are barriers to exercise

-when office emphasizes exercise, people fit it in, feel more encouraged, obligated etc

BUSINESS ASPECTS:

approach it as a landscaping company

yoga - we are the ones with a network of teachers

-people pay landscapers

fee as maintenance

-do people pay? do they work for classes? first month free? is this too much of a barier?

maintain workers for free classes?

-balance between participation and maintenance

-angle as a company - we are HR outsourcing in the 20th century

-network of chefs , professionals, yoga

-professional atmosphere

Interviews with doctors

Interviews with Randall Vagelos (Cardiologist) and Julie Wissink (Internist)

Summary/notes/insights:

Avg of a minutes per day of exercise per year

People aren't always good judges of how active they are

Using a pedometer is a good way to increase awareness/activity (10,000 steps a day idea)

Some patients definitely count on "in between" time exercise

Discussion over whether exercise in small bits is better - overall can obviously burn more calories over 18 hours than 1 hour - provided you are incredibly active. questionable the effects of a completely sedentary day with 1 hour of very rigorous exercise

Can really increase burn rate if generally active - but then if you keep eating

#1 excuse (says Julie) - is time

- but if they could become more efficient over all, or make their exercise time itself more effective

Randy - because they are lazy (his opinion not theirs)

They need to learn how to prioritize it better - they currently dont/and or dont want to
Make excuses during the day if continue to leave it till later

if you do it first thing in the morning - it becomes routine, there isn't time to talk yourself out of it, it doesn't hang over your head the entire day

Fat people - water aerobics is good, personal training

idea of PRIDE
-there is definitely an internal confidence. exercise helps to balance the ups and downs of peoples professional lives. They start to radiate confidence and control
-from an outside perspective, viewing the person as a professional, if they can't even take care of themselves physically it doesn't inspire great confidence

if not otherwise motivated - walking holds a big pull

Standing vs sitting
-with standing you have to me much more conscious of posture, there are a lot of negatives, joints

people who are already exercising some amount are generally all interested in keeping more active

Bicycle powered computer? FORCED activity

hard to put exercise machines straight into offices - because of ambience - but doing this would be GREAT - foldable ones? sleeker? nicer looking?

a lot of large companies have sports facilities on site - things at large companies now healthier and available - often due to overall view of company or founder etc

people raising cost of parking spaces - encourages walking - or parking farther

$ really effective way to motivate

logging of exercise tends to be helpful (like steps)

incentives: reduction of insurance or something??

Email/app reminders helpful

Look at smokers - in terms of reminders, positive vs negative feedback etc

Negative reinforcement (they joked about this) - like putting in a fat caliper, or fatbooth photos

There are these bicycle rental things in cities now - kind of like zip car - dont have to always have a bike, more convenient, dont have to worry about storage etc

People traveling a lot (!!!) - could be a very interesting group
-some get more exercise - don't have other priorities before meetings etc, hotels have nice gyms
-but during travel - airports don't have exercise facilities
-what about outfits? rental? washing? would people know about it? once they did could become prepared

Exercise boosts productivity

Highly effective people - are highly effective in many/all aspects of their lives - about organizing themselves

for people laid off - claim that now they will exercise - still dont, because still cant prioritize

Planning going on in doctors' offices
-they are trying to get people to make people walk less and therefore make it more efficient

ten minutes every hour - shut the office down - but people work less effectively when interrupted too often

exercising at work has a lot to do with leaders

phone that only works when you are walking (once again the idea of requirement vs encouragement)

BIKES ON A PLANE - bringing exercise rooms etc to the plane

Feedback throughout the day - on how much movement or exercise or eating

negative feedback loop - dont exercise, dont feel good, not inclined to get activity

gradient of cost for food - subsidize healthier stuff

Interview with ANAIS in the languages corner (stanny)

Summary/notable points:

ALSO active - feels that coworkers keep similar mentality

Walking a long distance from car is effective

Masters swimming during lunch

more sedentary days - mind definitely feels sluggish

Rigorous exercise optimal

would do some work standing up if could

walking on a treadmill while working? if this could happen it'd be great, or gentle stair

exercising and working simultaneously - stimulating your thinking

Be well: 

answer questions about personal health, get a few basic tests, a couple of personal training, geta personalized gym schedule, cheaper classes. If you fulfill all basic reqmnts you get money back

--> monetary motivation successful

it also reminds you in general that you aren't doing enough

Her goals are more stretching and core

1-3 pm is when she feels most sluggish

going to a class is more motivating - there is some responsibility

currently has a laptop - so can move around to diff locals to work. but most people (including her in the future) - make working at one's desk a necessity (!!!)

Could do with a more nicely designed work/lounge space

PRIDE in being active

Interview with Larissa

Interview with Larissa - in the random little building across from the circle of death

Also very conscious of being active - 

new at work - a lot of pressure to stay on schedule and get work done

Be well program at Stanford pretty cool

Time is biggest limitation

only have 30 minutes at lunch

Prefer exercising alone because it is more effective

HIP classes as part of be well

Would need things to fit in already hectic schedule

Keeping active while at your desk would be great

There is a need to "make it a priority"

It is hard to make something habit

Needs to make a conscious decision to try it - if you see/feel a visible change within a week or two then it becomes worth it

Gets workout during 3/4 mi bike commute

Is worried about how to get exercise during commute if/when it starts raining

keeps some clothes at work - bikes in jeans - changes into nice top at work

Initial meeting notes

Ideas/comments/directions:

Standing instead of sitting

How to better incorporate exercise into commute

Potential POV

Sedentary, corporate workers in a cubicle - dont have time or energy to think about exercise. Need to do it without having to quantify it

Time? - During the working day (within 9-5) so that they don't have to give up family time

users: white collar (too specific? slash what does this mean exactly?), sedentary, desk jobs

need: non-disruptive, creative methods of exercise

because: they need stress relief/their mental and emotional health is directly related to exercise and activity

random other things: 

Psych. 1 - modern concept of health = biopsychosocial method

mandatory? How would this be received  - do we want them to be happy or healthy or both?

More potential POV : Sedentary workers need a way to stay active during their working hours because exercise is not currently a priority

Users - 9-5 lower on the totem pole, v. limited free time at work, limited control over work schedule/duties, routine important - already established (create a new one or work it into that)

Interview with Shari - Stanny History Dept

Interview done with Shari in the Stanny History Department

Directed to her likely because she is known to be more active

Summary of interview:

Very active. Goes to gym at lunch, at Arrillaga. It is a problem that she can't shower there

Notices when she is too sedentary - makes effort to walk around

Yoga on wednesdays - but limited classes

Used to walk and bike to work - but due to construction difficulties in finding a safe and expedient route

Tries to do office errands for activity

Social aspect to exercise not necessary to her - knows she will get less good of a workout

Being active gets in the way of social time - because she uses her lunch hour

Working out after work is really difficult - exhausting - wants to go home to family

Would be interested in desk workouts if she wasn't awkwardly panting behind her desk, and she was still able to work

Ball chair seemed like a huge hazard

Look into old sewing machine - silent exerciser?

If distracted doesn't work out as hard

Time is biggest barrier

Hair is big impedance to biking  - helmet hair, raining

Insights:

Social aspect for people already focused on exercise/conscious of being active is not necessary/desired if they want serious exercise time

Time is incredibly important

Very proud of how conscious/proactive she is about activity

Initial brainstorming

 

Initial brainstorming - pre interviews

Main questions:

What do people consider an active lifestyle? Can people identify a change in mental health based on activity level? (i.e. tangible results?) What elements of a gym or designated exercise period is most appealing or effective and how can these be incorporated into a lifestyle in general? A preference on social vs. solo exercise? Current main barriers to exercise? What emotions are associated with exercise/a healthy lifestyle?