Maral Babapour Chafi
Ph.D. Human-Technology-Design, Project lead for Activity-based Flexible Work Environments
Phone: +46-704304532
E-mail: maral.babapour.chafi@vgregion.se
Research areas
I am a design and human factors researcher, with a focus on workplace development. My research primarily applies a user-centred design methodology to study the complex, multi-dimensional relationship between people and technical systems. A major interest is to understand how new workplace solutions - covering products, services, systems or environments - are adopted into everyday life. My work also includes developing methods and tools for (re-)designing workplaces and addressing occupational health and safety issues in the workplace. The overall approach in my research is interactive and interpretative; it involves a close collaboration with multiple stakeholders in actual workplaces.
The overarching purpose of my research is to contribute with knowledge to support a use(r) centred development of resource-efficient and health-promoting workplace solutions that make work and life fulfilling and meaningful for employees.
Ongoing projects
Currently, I am leading a research project about implementation of Activity-based Flexible Offices (also called AFO/ABW/ABO) in the public sector in West Sweden. The project deals with different topics; e.g. longitudinal evaluation of AFOs with respect to employees’ perceived health and performance; occupational health and safety management in AFOs; design and ergonomics evaluation of AFOs; implementing evidence-based design changes; and process evaluations.
My research activities also involve a close collaboration with Division Design & Human Factors at Chalmers, addressing two major topics: circularity and sustainable product use; and healthy work systems and ergonomics.
Publications
Forooraghi M, Miedema E, Ryd N, Wallbaum H, Babapour Chafi M
Relationship between the design characteristics of activity-based flexible offices and users’ perceptions of privacy and social interactions
Building Research & Information, 2023
Babapour M, Hultberg A, Bosic N.
Post-Pandemic Office Work- Perceived Challenges and Opportunities for a Sustainable Work Environment
Environment. Sustainability 2022
Babapour Chafi, M. and Cobaleda-Cordero, A.
Methods for eliciting user experience insights in workplace studies- spatial walkthroughs, experience curve mapping and card sorting
Journal of Corporate Real Estate, 2021
A handbook of theories on designing alignment between people and the office environment
Taylor & Francis Group, 2021
Babapour Chafi, M, Harder M, Bodin Danielsson, C
Workspace preferences and non-preferences in Activity-based Flexible Offices: Two case studies
Applied Ergonomics, 2019
Babapour Chafi, M
From fading novelty effects to emergent appreciation of Activity-based Flexible Offices: Comparing the individual, organisational and spatial adaptations in two case organisations
Applied Ergonomics, 2019
Babapour Chafi, M (avhandling)
The Quest for the Room of Requirement - Why Some Activity-based Flexible Offices Work While Others Do Not
Chalmers tekniska högskola, April 2019
Cobaleda Cordero, A., Babapour Chafi, m., Karlsson M
Feel well and do well at work: A post-relocation study on the relationships between employee well-being and office landscape
Journal of Corporate Real Estate, 2019
Babapour Chafi, M., Rolfö L
Policies in Activity-based Flexible Offices -‘I am sloppy with clean-desking. We don’t really know the rules.’
Ergonomics, 2019
Rolfö, L., Jahncke, H., Slunga Järvholm, L., Öhrn, M., Babapour Chafi, M
Predictors of Preference for the Activity-based Flexible Office
Proceedings in Human Systems Engineering and Design, 2018
