A rendering of office space in the new Van Ness building, currently under construction in The Fenway

When thinking about a new office, everyone wants a flexible layout, but designing that perfect space can feel like an impossible task. You want to create an environment that works for everyone—but “one size fits all” doesn’t fit most teams. Starting with these basic questions will help you think through how to design the best space for your team.

1.       What energy and attitude will best fit your team?

The space and lay out should be conducive to the type of work being done. For example, is your team made up of more coders or sales reps? Beyond function, think about personality. Is the vibe more introverted, with a priority on independent work, privacy and sensitive conversations, or do employees recharge by connecting with each other, brainstorming and creating together? The answers to these questions tell whether to prioritize open areas or private spaces in your layout.

Colors are another important, but often overlooked, element of any work space. Beyond aesthetics, different colors can promote different attitudes and emotions. For example, orange promotes energy and enthusiasm while blue promotes calmness and serenity. Generally, warm colors are energizing, and cool colors are soothing. What does your team gravitate toward…and what do they need most?

2.       What drives, and what kills, your team’s productivity?

It’s a given that office space should be encourage productivity. But how? You might want to start with identifying the worst offenders—things like ringing phones and distracting conversations—and think about which productivity killers you need to mitigate.

One way to address these is to build into your site plan some smaller spaces that function as the opposite of the main space: for an open layout, a dedicated quiet room; for more segmented layouts, a well-engineered common area set apart from other offices.

3.       How can you engineer spontaneity?

We all know that some of the best ideas can come from chance conversations between colleagues—but how can you design serendipity? Bose’s founder famously forbid his engineer-heavy workforce from eating or drinking coffee at their workspaces, ensuring that employees would connect in common areas throughout the day.

Your team may not need such explicit prompting, but remember to both create spaces and workflows that show your team that connecting less formally is a priority, too.

4.       How will you balance public and private space?

Some say that open floor plans lead to more distractions among employees. Still others swear by them. Think about how employees interact with one another in the course of their jobs. Is there a lot of group work or are employees more independent?

An open layout can certainly help employees easily brainstorm and share ideas, creating a “bullpen” effect, where even individual work is buoyed by the energy of the collective hum. But some teams might find the cons outweigh the pros.

It’s become a dirty word in some circles, but well-designed cubicles can provide the best of both worlds—giving employees a measure of privacy without isolating anyone. (Non-design offerings like noise-canceling headphones can also provide an easy alternative to closed doors!)

The bottom line is that creating a mix of “public” and “private” spaces is usually the answer—you just have to find the right balance for your team.

5.       Does your team need to move around?

The benefits of open layouts have been well-documented, but don’t forget the research showing how highly valued private spaces can also be. These spaces allow employees to get work done in quiet when they need it, or make private calls without being overheard (or distracting others).

Beyond “space,” think about ways to create an agile workplace, where employees are encouraged to move around and work in different areas. Sitting in the same space for eight (or ten or twelve) hours a day can sometimes be counterproductive. Creating some diversity within the office can help to keep things fresh, but you might want to consult with a designer to work through specific options for your space to make sure that these options are presented in a way that encourages use, and don’t just collect dust.

Designing an office and establishing the right layout isn’t impossible. Once you start to understand the balance of open and closed, team wants vs. needs, you’ll be well on your way to making the most of those killer new digs.