What is a Huddle Room?
Huddle rooms have been attracting attention in recent years in universities and colleges. They are popular because they help improve team mobility by enabling a small group of people to gather and hold discussions anytime, anywhere.
A “huddle” refers to a strategic gathering where players determine the next play on the field during an American football game. Huddle rooms got their name from the fact that members can casually gather together and make efficient decisions in a short amount of time.
Currently, huddle rooms are being used at many business sites to aim to improve employee productivity, but they are also becoming a trend as a place to produce active discussions and new ideas in higher education facilities such as universities.
A Small Space to Activate Discussions
The number of users is about five to six at most. What kind of short discussions that last from ten minutes to 30 minutes are useful in creating ideas and promoting understanding? We’ll start off by introducing the advantages of a huddle room.
No Space Reservation Required
Typically, reservations are not required for huddle rooms, and their significance is that they can be used immediately whenever people want to.
The biggest advantage of a huddle room is that when there are topics that should be considered a conclusion can be reached in a short amount of time by immediately inviting the members and holding a discussion.
They Can be Used for Multiple Purposes
One of the characteristics of a huddle room is that it can be used flexibly. In addition to discussions, it can be used for many purposes such as interviews between teachers and students and quick online meetings.
Can Activate Communication within the Team
By setting up a huddle room, the opportunities to gather together as a team can be increased compared to when you have when you have to find an empty room, so it can be expected to increase the amount of communication within the team.
Can be Installed at a Low Cost
Another major advantage of a huddle room is that it is much cheaper than a large lecture room and small open classrooms or a corner of a floor can be used.
There are many cases in which setting up multiple huddle rooms instead of creating one large common room may be much more cost effective.
Can Communicate More Closely
Because the huddle rooms are assumed to be used by a small number of people, you can communicate more closely. They can be expected to increase the participation rate of the members and the sense of ownership of each person compared to discussions held in a large classroom.
Remote Participants Can Also Feel a Sense of Companionship
Due to the effects of the COVID-19, the opportunities for remote discussions are rapidly increasing. By using a huddle room, you can quickly and easily start discussion even through remote discussions.
Creating an Effective Huddle Room
Huddle rooms can produce lively collaborations in universities and companies.
There are several points to creating a small discussion space with benefits not found in open spaces.
Unify the Equipment
Even when installing multiple small huddle rooms, it is desirable to unify the manufacturer, model and software of the equipment to be introduced.
Being able to smoothly use equipment and services in the same way regardless of which room the participating members use will lead to improved learning effects.
What is important here is the connectivity between the equipment. Even if you implement unified manufacturers and models, the work will become complicated if you need a lot of cables to connect them, which may interfere with the discussions. This issue can be solved by connecting computers, smartphones, tablets and displays wirelessly.
Perform a Trial and Verify the Evaluation
When introducing a huddle room, it is effective to create several sections as a trial and conduct a survey about the frequency of use, user impressions, necessary equipment, etc.
Also, by installing a huddle room and numerically evaluating how much the reservation congestion situation of large classrooms or how the problems specific to the school were solved can lead to the introduction of policies and judgment materials for the introduction of equipment in the future.
Huddle Room Planning
The points to keep in mind when planning a huddle room are almost the same as planning a classroom. However, it is necessary to ensure the layout and sound insulation and consider the lighting so that the user members and remote participants can conduct seamless collaborations.
Layout
Layout the room so that five to six members can easily see the displays and whiteboards. It will become easier to provide support when the number of users increase by preparing several extra stackable chairs.
When setting up multiple huddle rooms, it is good to change the equipment to be installed and the number of people that can be accommodated and choose rooms accordingly. If you can choose a room according to your purpose and mood, such as a room with a large display or a small room with only a sofa where you can talk casually, it can be used more flexibly.
Acoustics
It is necessary to improve the sound insulation to prevent ambient noise from interfering with the discussions and so that the content of the meetings is not leaked outside. By creating a space that can be partitioned by transparent glass, you can immediately check to see if it is open and it can produce a moderate level of tension for the meetings, so you can expect the effects of efficient discussions.
Lighting and Reflection
Natural light helps create a natural and calm atmosphere, but in order to prevent reflections on the display due to sunlight depending on the time of day, blinds may need to be installed. Also, it is necessary to pay attention to lighting and light reflection, such as indoor lights reflected on the display. On the other hand, there is also a type of display that can solve this reflection problem. For example, by using a model with a higher Haze value that can suppress reflections, it will be easier to see the screen.
Fixtures and Equipment Required for the Huddle Room
In order to create a huddle room where participants can freely exchange opinions comfortable furniture and a video conferencing system are required. Whiteboards and interactive whiteboards where you can gather your opinions are also convenient amenities. It is easy to incorporate a playful spirit to the design of the space.
Furniture
Prepare a table that is large enough for the expected number of participants to set their laptops and the required number of chairs. It is desirable to request the expert who designed the space to match the design and color of the furniture with the surrounding environment. If there are multiple rooms, changing the color or chair styles can create a nice balance to the space.
With a standing-style huddle room, it is possible to save even more space.
Display
Due to the effects of the COVID-19, the need for remote meetings is expected to continue increasing in the future. When planning a huddle room, you should consider using it as a remote meeting space as well. At that time, the display is important. If you have a 42-inch to 50-inch display, it will be possible to hold huddle meeting/discussions with distant colleagues while sharing the screen. When gathering multiple people in a small space, a display with a wide viewing angle can provide high-quality images that are stable when viewed no matter where you sit. By installing a display that enables you to share a screen with the members, you can share information even more efficiently. Also, when members participate online, discussions will proceed even more smoothly.
Furthermore it takes time to show the PC screen on the display and meetings can be frequently interrupted by having to switch the input with a remote controller each time the presenter changes, so a display with excellent connectivity is an essential item for a huddle room.
When conducting a discussion using a display, we recommend using a display with a touch panel function. Discussions can be activated by adding notes to the parts of the material that you are interested in or by using a touch panel during a meeting instead of a whiteboard to write onto Microsoft PowerPoint to provide an explanation.
Projector
When conducting a discussion using a display, we recommend using a display with a touch panel function. Discussions can be activated by adding notes to the parts of the material that you are interested in or by using a touch panel during a meeting instead of a whiteboard to write onto Microsoft PowerPoint to provide an explanation.
One of the Forms of Future Discussions
Huddle rooms can be created with a relatively low-cost budget and can be easily introduced in universities and offices. In the future, as information and communication equipment technologies continue to evolve, there is a possibility that new unique usage methods will be developed. It is expected that new ideas and innovations will be created one after another from the space where small groups of members can physically communicate face-to-face and produce active collaborations.
