Thank you for this article; given the recent need to create higher-performing virtual offices this work seems prescient and useful.
I have noticed that, in addition to the issues that you have described, using the laptop speakers and microphones can lead to disruptive echoes and feedback. I can imagine that these hardware considerations will increasingly form a set of standard expectations for conduct in virtual environments.
Entries and exits from buildings create pinch points where people are likely to be collected together in small spaces. Access controls and door designs have different throughput rates so conceivably you could design architectural solutions around the goal of minimising contact.
I'm minded to think of how revolving doors could be adopted to facilitate a reduction in infection communication through a restriction in total diameter to necessitate single-occupant compartments and the introduction of air filters to constantly sweep the compartments. These sy... (read more)