Episode 3: Alana Lopez (OTJ Architects)

Alana Lopez, Head of Studio, San Francisco at OTJ Architects

One of the most interesting topics we encounter around experience design is how many brands still silo their thinking about physical environments, technology, events, brand engagement, and wellbeing. The fact is, all of these things together comprise an ecosystem of touchpoints, and together, they form an experiential journey that is felt and evaluated by all who encounter it on a deeply human level. Brands can choose to let that employee experience come together as it may, in arbitrary fashion, or to design it with strategic touchpoints, and an overarching narrative so it yields results and engagement that deliver ROI and build business.

Because these elements are interwoven and interdependent, it’s critical that brands design holistic experiences with clarity and intent. Done properly, brand storytelling and values permeate all gatherings, communications and initiatives, activating story and ethos across places, occasions, and conversations–not taking an ad hoc approach. Nowhere is the compartmentalized approach to brand storytelling more evident than in conversation with architects who are charged with shaping the built environment. Their work is a perfect encapsulation of the ways companies apply surface level expressions of the brand, while missing the opportunity to carry their brand ethos through every employee and customer touchpoint. That’s where the brand comes to life and creates human connection.

In this episode of the soundbite series, we talk to Alana Lopez, head of studio, San Francisco at OTJ Architects. More and more, she calls out the need for brands to flip their thinking about what a workplace means and how the built environment operates. For many, it is a “house” for people, but in Alana’s estimation, it doesn’t become a “home” for brand culture and community—thereby driving the business forward—until and unless it is specifically designed, in tangible ways, for a purposeful brand experience with humans at the center of the story. Gone are the days of planning offices, desks and open-plan studios. Today, we must start with what the humans who inhabit the space need for productivity, connectivity, wellbeing and work rhythm. That changes the environment, the events and the conversation on a macro level across every touchpoint of the business.

Alana’s Soundbite Topics:
-A Return to the Workplace and Hospitality
-Architecture as Experience
-Experience is a Competitive Advantage
-The Importance of Storytelling
-Programming Brand Culture into Space
-Start with the Experience
-Storytelling in the Built Environment
-Tech Pioneered Experiential Programming
-The Culture Playbook