Design a Desk Reservation Product for Employees Returning to the Office After COVID-19

Offices are reopening after the COVID-19 pandemic, and employees are expected to come back to work on site. Design a system that lets employees book desks in the office. Explain who it serves, which problems it needs to solve, what the first version includes, and how you would tell whether it is working. ```hint Walk the whole office day Follow one employee from deciding to come in, through booking, arriving and finding the desk, to leaving. Each step can fail in its own way, for example a desk that is booked but never used. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Is this an internal tool for one employer's offices, or a product sold to many companies with different office layouts and policies? - Are employees returning full time, or on hybrid schedules where most desks are shared rather than assigned? - Must the system enforce reopening health rules, such as capacity caps, spacing between occupied desks or cleaning between users, or only manage availability? - Is it software only (web, mobile, calendar integration), or can it rely on office hardware such as badge readers or desk sensors? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A goal that serves both employees (a predictable, worthwhile day in the office) and the employer (efficient use of space), with the tension between the two acknowledged. - The user groups involved (hybrid employees, full-time on-site staff, visitors from other offices, workplace administrators) and a reasoned choice of whom to design for first. - The journey from planning a visit through check-in to leaving, with its pain points such as no-shows, absent teammates and unsuitable desks. - A prioritized first version that separates must-have booking mechanics from later features. - Success metrics with guardrails covering actual desk use, no-shows and employee satisfaction. ### Follow-up Questions - Many booked desks sit empty because people reserve them just in case. How would you reduce that without making employees feel policed? - Leadership wants to use booking and check-in data to track who comes into the office. How do you respond, and how would that change the product? - How would the design change for an office where midweek demand far exceeds the number of desks while Mondays and Fridays are nearly empty?