“Do Bigger Desks Make People Dishonest?” Fast Company asks.

A cautionary tale for those involved in space planning of any kind – and those especially keen to make sure planning takes the priorities of all its users – that “a new study from Columbia, MIT, Northwestern, Harvard and Berkeley… finds that certain expansive environments make people feel more powerful, and that this sense of power can lead to dishonesty.”

It’s an interesting exploration of the ‘ethics of space’, something our work in retail planning and experience design draws on (albeit not explicitly). The support for decisions about the way we experience spaces, once they’re under consideration, ought to add this additional dimension as a criteria.

Do Bigger Desks Make People Dishonest?