Episode 48 Show Notes

Quick question, would you consider yourself an introvert or an extrovert? Did you know that the typical office space was specifically designed for the extroverted mind? For David O’Coimin this was always an issue and he designed the Nook Pod specifically for those neurodiverse individuals who need time away from the hustle of the office. 

David comes from a long line of engineers in Ireland. In fact, that’s what he went to school for as well. It wasn’t until he found design however that he felt truly fulfilled and passionate. He even won a fairly large award for one of his design projects that made it into manufacturing and production. 

One of his big passions has always been creating designs that support a neuro-diverse workforce. He himself is an ambivert that is crippled at the thought of being on phone calls. It didn’t help that every workplace was designed with huge open spaces that kept him from being able to “get away” within the space.

This was when he decided to create the Nook Pod. His very first iteration of the Nook Pod was installed in his house and he invited friends and family over to review it. Needless to say, it was a hit. 

Listen as he shares more about his background and why designing for the many is number one on his list of passions. He also digs deeper into the purpose and creation of the Nook Pod and why he thinks all workspaces need them. 

In this episode: 

[03:49] Welcome to the show, David!

[04:53] David shares his background and what he is doing today.

[06:38] The first product he ever designed.

[09:21] Listen as David discusses his organization and how Nook came about.

[13:25] Where he came up with the design for Nook.

[16:01] David designed the Nook on a napkin in 2016 and has it framed.

[19:09] He went full production in Sept of 2016 and cash positive in a couple of months.

[20:07] Neurodiversity and the workplace.

[27:15] Listen as David describes his statement that he designs for the many.

[29:42] What he would like to see in the workplace in the future.

[32:22] David speaks about some amazing research that was done in the 70s about cubicles.

[35:12] David designed the Nook to be a hackable space.

[38:48] Learn about The Spring Breakout, a roadshow sponsored by The Business of Furniture.

[40:31] David talks about a seal he made for a colostomy bag because they couldn’t get the design right.

[45:27] Thank you for being on the show!

Links and Resources: 

Alan Turing: Creator of Modern Computing

Connect with David:

Nook

LinkedIn | Email

Connect with Sid:

www.sidmeadows.com

Embark CCT on Facebook

Sid on LinkedIn

Sid on Instagram

The Trend Report is proudly sponsored by INDEAL. Partners in progress in the commercial interiors industry. To learn more about INDEAL, please visit their website at https://www.indeal.org/ 

The Trend Report introduction music is provided by: Werq by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4616-werq License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/