Designing Workplaces That Actually Work—for Every Brain

Article (Part 3 of 5): (Into, Part 1, Part 2)

It’s nearly impossible to unlock genius in a space designed for compliance.

But most multifamily workplaces are built for control, not cognition.

We design for visibility, uniformity, and ease of management.

Not for focus, creativity, or neurodivergent brilliance.

Start with the physical.

Open floor plans may look modern, but they’re sensory battlegrounds for many neurodivergent minds.

Constant motion. Ambient noise. Fluorescent glare. It’s not stimulation—it feels like an assault on the senses.

Quiet rooms. Variable lighting. Noise-canceling zones. All are like oxygen for the neurodivergent.

Now, zoom out to the workflow.

Daily standups. Slack pings. Got a minute- interruptions.

If your processes favor real-time response over deep work, you’re optimizing for the fastest—not the best.

Brilliance isn’t always on-demand.

What about meetings? Most are designed around neurotypical communication norms, linear thinking, verbal dominance, and social nuance.

That’s not collaboration. That’s exclusion with a calendar invite.

Try this instead: pre-shared agendas. Asynchronous input. Written feedback loops. Silence as strategy.

Let people process how they process.

Software matters, too. Don’t assume that “intuitive” means universal.

Offer flexibility in how people interact with tools—keyboard vs. voice, visual vs. text, fast vs. deliberate.

Choice is the design principle.

And culture? It’s everything.

Is there space to stim, fidget, or opt out without judgment?

Is disclosure safe or strategic suicide?

Does your team value the output—or just the optics?

Inclusion isn’t a vibe.

You don’t build a plane midair.

So stop trying to retrofit your workplace after someone struggles.

Build with difference in mind from day one.

- Mike Brewer