**3. Method**

196 Virtual Reality and Environments

Brodie, 2006). Switching concentration from driving to working with ICT-tools causes hazards

The functional fit or misfit of the workplace can be assessed by defining the degree to which occupants can either conserve their attention and energy for their tasks or expend it to cope with poor environmental conditions. Related to the functional fit of virtual places, the connectivity problems that cause disturbances and hindrances to virtual work flow are crucial. The maturity and sophistication of the ICT infrastructure is one of the key factors. For example, the Wi-Fi connections are not yet fully developed in all environments (Axtell,

Some of the connectivity problems are derived from the limited skills of mobile workers in employing virtual settings and infrastructure (Hallford, 2005; Mann & Holdsworth, 2003; Mark & Su, 2010; Perry & Brodie, 2006; Vartiainen & Hyrkkänen, 2010; Venezia & Allee, 2007). Time constraints and tight schedules of mobile employees together with timeconsuming downloads of connections and programs also make it unreasonable to start virtual work (Axtell et al., 2008; Brown & O'Hara, 2003; Breure & van Meel, 2005; Mark &

The security regulations of mobile employees' own or their customers' companies may hinder the access to and functioning in virtual places (Brown & O'Hara, 2003; Mark & Su, 2010;). In addition very expensive connections may present a barrier to employing

**2.3 The elements of psychosocial comfort and fit in the virtual workplace of a mobile** 

In Vischer's (2005, 2007) environmental comfort model, psychological comfort links psychosocial aspects with environmental design and management of workspace through the

A sense of territory is associated with feelings of belonging and ownership. Territoriality of the virtual work place may be considered as a different composition of public, semipublic and private virtual places. Public shared places and platforms include the internet, many applications of social media and interfaces which are open for everyone. Semipublic areas include applications and media channels which demand an identity but are still shared among a defined group of users. The private zone requires a personal key and passwords and the content is not shared or if so, the principles of sharing are decided by the individual user. Virtual territory is personalized by individual choices e.g. in screen savers, chosen applications and programs. The visual appearance is a significant factor indicating both individual ownership and social belonging e.g. to the organization (see Ettlinger 2008).

In many cases, the need for belonging will not come true in virtual spaces (Brown & O´Hara, 2003; Hallford, 2005; Mann & Hodsworth, 2003, Perry et al., 2001). The lack of belonging is affected also by limited access to colleagues and individuals, who are distant. This is the case of the mobile employee's physical world but also the case of virtual reality, e.g., when

and is therefore for safety reasons limited by law and norms. (Hislop &Axtell, 2009).

**employee** 

et al., 2008).

**employee** 

Su, 2010; Perry et al., 2001; Perry & Brodie, 2006).

functional connections (Axtell el al., 2008).

concepts of *territoriality, privacy and control.*

**2.2 The elements of functional comfort and fit in the virtual workplace of a mobile** 

In order to reflect the results of the literature review, a small scale empirical survey was carried out. The experience sampling method (ESM) was used as the research method. ESM refers to a technique that enables the capturing of people's behaviors, thoughts, or feelings as they occur in real time (Hektner et al. 2006).

The ESM research process consisted of five stages. In the first stage the design for the research was made and the diary booklet was designed and tested. In the second stage the subjects were contacted and the diary booklet was delivered to them. The sample of 20 employees (users) from different organizations participated. They were instructed to carefully enter all their actions and places they had been to in a diary booklet. The diary phase focused on what virtual devices and tools are used and for what purposes. In the third stage, the filled diary booklets were retrieved and familiarized with and the first interpretations were made. In the fourth stage, the interviews concerning the themes of fit and misfit in virtual work places were finalized and carried out with 10 users. The aim of the interview phase was to examine employees' experiences of fit or misfit concerning physical, functional and psychosocial features of their virtual workplace. In the fifth and final stage the final interpretation of the collected material was done with help of AtlasTi-program.

ESM can be seen as an application of a probes method. The probes method is a user-centered design approach and a qualitative knowledge gathering research tool that is based on user participation by means of self-documentation (Gaver et al. 1999; Gaver et al. 2004; Boeher et al. 2007; Mattelmäki 2008). The purpose of the method is to understand human phenomena and find signals of new opportunities by examining users' personal perceptions and background.

The Virtual Reality of Work –

considered difficult.

quickly connected.

How to Create a Workplace that Enhances Well-Being for a Mobile Employee 199

The layouts of the physical workspaces were seen as a challenge in many cases. While on the move it was especially hard to find a place that supports quiet work or confidential discussions. For these reasons, working with certain tasks with virtual applications was

Also the decent ergonomics of the workplaces used was important. Many of the mobile employees mentioned the fatigue of musculoskeletal organs due to bad work postures. Inappropriate furniture and visual difficulties were the main causes for impairing working postures. On the other hand, some virtual tools allow flexible changes not only in the physical work position but also in bodily postures. According to the interview, the mobile

phone appeared to be the most flexible virtual tool from this point of view.

Fig. 2. The elements impacting the physical fit or misfit of virtual workplaces

**4.2 Functional comfort and fit in the virtual workplace of a mobile employee** 

The leading themes of data included the connectivity and effective use of time (fig. 3). The most important thing when considering the nice and smooth i.e. functional use of virtual devices and applications seemed to be the availability, speed and functionality of the internet connection. Most of the notes in the diaries were somehow related to the use of an internet connection. Altogether, the internet connection, which was non-functional or difficult to access, was regarded as the key hindrance of productive knowledge work in virtual workplaces. There was a requirement that a quick and easily accessible internet connection should be available everywhere. This also presents requirements for the infrastructure of both virtual and physical places: they should guide you in getting

Because the workdays of the employees seemed to be busy with many things to do, the baseline assumption was that the use of virtual devices and applications is quick and smooth. If not, the irritation on account of wasted time increased, e.g., when sending emails took a few seconds instead of being instant. The interviewed subjects described the wasted time as a time that was spent with virtual tools but which did not directly contribute to completing the work related tasks and duties they were working with. An example of an experience of wasted time is a laptop that took 10 minutes to turn on. Another example is a

More precisely, probes are a collection of evocative assignments through which or inspired by which the users actively record requested material (Mattelmäki 2008). The most typical forms of traditional self-documentation are diaries and camera studies. The academic purpose of selfdocumentation is to examine the daily factors of human lives. (Graham et al. 2007; Mattelmäki 2008.) A relevant feature of self-documentation is collecting data from several situations that increase the reliability of the research (DeLongis et al. 1992). Self-documentation also minimizes the observers' possible influence on the person observed.
