Effect of Optimized Daylight Patterns on Employee Satisfaction: A Before and After Changes
Keywords:
Daylight, Desk surface, satisfaction, Job satisfaction, WorkplaceAbstract
Objective: Nowadays, human satisfaction and well-being in office environments have become significant concerns, with notable social and economic impacts. The use of natural daylight in office spaces is crucial for the health, satisfaction, and cognitive performance of individuals. This study examines the quality and controllability of daylight distribution in indoor environments. In this research, office employees in Kerman were studied in two settings: one with plain glass windows and another with optimized daylight distribution pattern windows. The aim was to assess the impact of received daylight on desk surface satisfaction and job satisfaction among employees.
Methods: The research employed a descriptive and analytical method, involving 76 employees evaluated at two stages—before and after changes—using desk surface satisfaction and job satisfaction questionnaires. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests in SPSS 26.
Results: Findings revealed that the optimized daylight distribution pattern significantly improved desk surface satisfaction and job satisfaction, enhancing environmental perception compared to plain glass.
Conclusion: Post-implementation, desk surface satisfaction increased by approximately 46%, and job satisfaction by about 31%. Overall, the use of windows with optimized daylight distribution patterns not only increases useful daylight and reduces glare but also positively impacts satisfaction with the work environment.
References
Abboushi, B. (2018). Investigating Occupant's Visual Comfort and Visual Interest towards Sunlight Patterns in Daylit Offices. University of Oregon.
Andersen, M., Mardaljevic, J., & Lockley, S. W. (2012). A framework for predicting the non-visual effects of daylight–Part I: photobiology-based model. Lighting research & technology, 44(1), 37-53.
Ascione, F., Bianco, N., De Masi, R. F., Mauro, G. M., & Vanoli, G. P. (2015). Design of the building envelope: A novel multi-objective approach for the optimization of energy performance and thermal comfort. Sustainability, 7(8), 10809-10836.
Bakker, L., Hoes-van Oeffelen, E., Loonen, R., & Hensen, J. L. (2014). User satisfaction and interaction with automated dynamic facades: A pilot study. Building and Environment, 78, 44-52.
Bellia, L., Pedace, A., & Barbato, G. (2014). Daylighting offices: A first step toward an analysis of photobiological effects for design practice purposes. Building and Environment, 74, 54-64.
Berg, J., Hilal, A., El, S., & Horne, R. (2021). World employment and social outlook: Trends 2021. International Labour Organization.
Bisht, D. S., Kumar, V., Singh, S., Garg, H., & Shravana Kumar, R. (2024). Optical modeling and computational analysis of improved daylight collector geometry for a tubular skylight. Applied Optics, 63(4), 1039-1047.
Boubekri, M. (2014). Daylighting design: planning strategies and best practice solutions. Birkhäuser.
Boubekri, M., Lee, J., MacNaughton, P., Woo, M., Schuyler, L., Tinianov, B., & Satish, U. (2020). The impact of optimized daylight and views on the sleep duration and cognitive performance of office workers. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(9), 3219.
Brainard, J., Gobel, M., Scott, B., Koeppen, M., & Eckle, T. (2015). Health implications of disrupted circadian rhythms and the potential for daylight as therapy. Anesthesiology, 122(5), 1170-1175.
Choi, J.-H., & Moon, J. (2017). Impacts of human and spatial factors on user satisfaction in office environments. Building and Environment, 114, 23-35.
Cleary, M., Raeburn, T., West, S., & Childs, C. (2019). The environmental temperature of the residential care home: Role in thermal comfort and mental health? Contemporary nurse, 55(1), 38-46.
Danielsson, C. B. (2008). Office experiences. In Product experience (pp. 605-628). Elsevier.
Dorsey, J., & Hedge, A. (2017). Re-evaluation of a LEED Platinum Building: Occupant experiences of health and comfort. Work, 57(1), 31-41.
Emami, N., & Giles, H. (2016). Geometric patterns, light and shade: quantifying aperture ratio and pattern resolution in the performance of shading screens. Nexus network journal, 18, 197-222.
EN-12464. (2011). Light and lighting - Lighting of work places-Part 1: Indoor work places.
Eshaghi, S., Moayedfar, S., & Esteghlal, A. (2018). Enhancing the Quality of Life in Historical Contexts with an Emphasis on Urban Regeneration Approach (Case Study: Imam Ali Square in Isfahan and its Surrounding Texture). International Journal of Applied Arts Studies (IJAPAS), 3(1).
Ferrante, T., & Villani, T. (2022). Pre-occupancy evaluation in hospital rooms for efficient use of natural light—improved proposals. Buildings, 12(12), 2145.
Ghasemi, A., & Zahediasl, S. (2012). Normality tests for statistical analysis: a guide for non-statisticians. International journal of endocrinology and metabolism, 10(2), 486.
Hamadah, M., ElSeragy, A., & ElDeeb, S. (2023). Well-being as a tool to improve productivity in existing office space: Case study in Alexandria, Egypt. F1000Research, 12, 639.
Hassard, J., Wong, I., & Wang, W. (2022). Workplace empowerment, psychological empowerment and work-related wellbeing in southeast Asian employees: a cross-sectional survey. Health promotion international, 37(4), daac113.
ISO-8995. (2022). International Standard. Lighting of Indoor Workplaces. In International Commission on Illumination. Vienna, Austria.
Kang, H. (2021). Sample size determination and power analysis using the G* Power software. Journal of educational evaluation for health professions, 18.
Ko, W. H., Burgess, I., Schiavon, S., Chung, S. T., MacNaughton, P., & Um, C. Y. (2024). Assessing the impact of glazing and window shade systems on view clarity. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 18392.
Konis, K. (2013). Evaluating daylighting effectiveness and occupant visual comfort in a side-lit open-plan office building in San Francisco, California. Building and Environment, 59, 662-677.
Lee, E. S., Claybaugh, E. S., & LaFrance, M. (2012). End user impacts of automated electrochromic windows in a pilot retrofit application. Energy and Buildings, 47, 267-284.
Lee, H., Zhao, X., & Seo, J. (2021). A study of optimal specifications for light shelves with photovoltaic modules to improve indoor comfort and save building energy. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(5), 2574.
Lee, J., & Boubekri, M. (2020). Impact of daylight exposure on health, well-being and sleep of office workers based on actigraphy, surveys, and computer simulation. Journal of Green Building, 15(4), 19-42.
Loftness, V., Hartkopf, V., Aziz, A., Choi, J.-H., & Park, J. (2018). Critical frameworks for building evaluation: user satisfaction, environmental measurements and the technical attributes of building systems (POE+ M). Building Performance Evaluation: From Delivery Process to Life Cycle Phases, 29-48.
Marzouk, M., ElSharkawy, M., & Mahmoud, A. (2022). Optimizing daylight utilization of flat skylights in heritage buildings. Journal of Advanced Research, 37, 133-145.
Matterson, M., Ferra, J., Salom, J., & Portilla, J. (2013). Dynamic daylight simulation and visual comfort survey in Mediterranean climate. Proceedings of the 13th Conference of International Building Performance Simulation Association, Chambery, France.
moazzeni, m., toofan, s., & sattarzadeh, d. (2020). Assessment Optical Patterns Affecting the Quality of Life of Residents of Residential Units Using Fractal Geometry. Journal of Architectural Thought, 4(7), 122-137.10.30479/at.2020.12074.1381.
Münch, M., Brøndsted, A. E., Brown, S. A., Gjedde, A., Kantermann, T., Martiny, K., . . Wirz-Justice, A. (2017). The effect of light on humans. Changing perspectives on daylight: Science, technology and culture. Sponsored supplement to Science/AAS, 16-23.
Namian, P., Parva, M., & Kashmiri, H. (2021). Investigating the Changing Role of Women in Society based on Satisfaction Level of Kitchen Design Pattern (Case study: Kitchens of Zones 1, 2 and 7 of Shiraz City, 2008-2018). International Journal of Applied Arts Studies (IJAPAS), 6(1), 33-46.
Omidfar, A., Niermann, M., & Groat, L. (2015). The use of environmental aesthetics in subjective evaluation of daylight quality in office buildings. Proceedings of IES Annual Conference.
Roskams, M., & Haynes, B. (2020). Salutogenic workplace design: A conceptual framework for supporting sense of coherence through environmental resources. Journal of Corporate Real Estate, 22(2), 139-153.
Salthammer, T., & Morrison, G. C. (2022). Temperature and indoor environments. Indoor air, 32(5), e13022.
Sander, E. L. J., Caza, A., & Jordan, P. J. (2019). Psychological perceptions matter: Developing the reactions to the physical work environment scale. Building and Environment, 148, 338-347.
Seo, H. J., Hyun, E.-j., & Yoon, Y.-G. (2024). The Impact of Physical Hazards on Workers’ Job Satisfaction in the Construction Industry: A Case Study of Korea. Behavioral Sciences, 14(12), 1197.
Seyedolhosseini, A., Masoumi, N., Modarressi, M., & Karimian, N. (2020). Daylight adaptive smart indoor lighting control method using artificial neural networks. Journal of Building Engineering, 29, 101141.
Wierzbicka, A., Pedersen, E., Persson, R., Nordquist, B., Stålne, K., Gao, C., . . Ness, B. (2018). Healthy indoor environments: The need for a holistic approach. International journal of environmental research and public health, 15(9), 1874.
Xue, P., Mak, C. M., & Cheung, H. (2014). The effects of daylighting and human behavior on luminous comfort in residential buildings: A questionnaire survey. Building and Environment, 81, 51-59.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 International Journal of Applied Arts Studies (IJAPAS)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
