NATURE VIEWS AND OFFICE PRODUCTIVITY

Measuring Productivity Measures in Office Employees with and without Nature Views

Co-Authors: Jay Maddock, Marco Palma, Suma Katabuttani | Advisor: Jay Maddock, Marco Palma

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Modern office environments often lack natural elements, which can negatively impact employee well-being and performance. As remote work and indoor office settings continue to dominate, there is growing interest in how biophilic design—specifically access to nature views—can enhance cognitive function, reduce stress, and improve workplace satisfaction. This study explores how exposure to natural views affects office workers’ productivity, decision-making, and ethical behaviors in a controlled laboratory setting.

The overall premise for the study also came from previous research connecting nature in offices and an upward trend in productivity, workplace satisfaction, and well-being.

One prominent study that does this is the reports released by Terrapin Bright Green. One finding from their studies showed an overall 15% rise in productivity in 3 months window in offices with nature while another study links discord amongst employees in the absence of nature in workplaces.

User Study Research Process

•A between-subject experiment (Control condition without any nature views and an experimental condition with nature views).

•Participants were assigned to one condition randomly (Control or Views).

•Programming 6 validated computer games to measure outcomes.

•Incorporating a 5-minute break in between games for revitalization/ to maximize the effects of the primary stimuli.

•The study was conducted in a controlled office environment.

Research Outcomes and Methods

The study examined how nature views influence:
✅ Cognitive Performance – Attention, memory recall, and problem-solving abilities.
✅ Workplace Ethics – Risk-taking behavior and cheating tendencies.
✅ Emotional Engagement – Stress levels, mood, and overall job satisfaction.

iMotions Emotions Capture (Metrics: Stress, Anxiety, Happiness, Anger, etc.,)

Key Findings

🌿 Nature Views Improve Focus & Memory: Participants in the nature-view condition performed significantly better in attention-based tasks and memory recall tests.
💡 Reduced Stress & Fatigue: Eye-tracking data revealed lower blink rates in the nature-view group, indicating reduced cognitive fatigue.
🧠 Influence on Decision-Making: Employees exposed to nature views demonstrated less risk-taking behavior and fewer tendencies to cheat in decision-making tasks.
😀 Enhanced Mood & Engagement: Facial expression analysis showed higher positive emotions (attention, engagement, and joy) among participants with access to nature views.

Novel Finding

Participants’ blink rates were consistently higher in the control group (no nature views) than in the views group—except during Game 2 (Letter ID), likely due to intense screen focus. Notably, during Game 1 (Stress Test), the control group’s blink rate spiked to 23 blinks per minute showing heightened anxiety. A Mann-Whitney U test confirmed statistically significant differences in all games except Game 2, with a strong effect in the stress test.

While nature views didn’t improve performance directly, they significantly reduced anxiety and fatigue, reinforcing their impact on stress, memory recall, abstract reasoning, risk aversion, and ethical decision-making.