Hej – You're Not Alone!

The nature of work is changing. We no longer go to one office, sit at one desk and work on one device to accomplish the multitude of things we do. While this may sound liberating, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought forth a glaring issue: the lack of social interaction. Hej gives people the social benefits of working in an office and helps you adopt healthier work habits. Once Hej is placed on the desk, the user is connected to the rest of their team. The built-in motion sensor captures everyone’s movement and translates it into abstract visualisations. These visualisations are unobtrusive but the flowing movement gives the sense of others around you. The visualisations allow users to interact with their colleagues through waving, virtual ‘tapping’ and with the built-in microphone and speaker. When the user needs to focus, Hej can be put on ‘focus mode’ simply by tipping it over. In this position, the speaker and microphone are muted. Hej is not meant to replace face-to-face conversations, so it also facilitates video calls through its interactive surface. Red Dot Award: Design Concept | Concept | Communication Technology