#AU2017 Sought To Unearth What Customers Love/Hate About Their Jobs

Most people have a love/hate relationship with their jobs. There are parts that they love, as in parts that they wish that they could spend more time doing. There are parts that they hate, as in parts that they would like to spend less time doing. We decided to explore these aspects of our customers' work at Autodesk University (AU) 2017. What do you think they said? What do you hate and love about your work?

They say that robots are coming to take our jobs. At Autodesk, we are hoping to help create new industries to mitigate the negative effects of the changing work environment. Just as people moved to factories when agricultural tools (e.g., tractors) reduced the need for farm workers, what will people do in the future? So, what does the future of work hold for us? They say robots are coming for us. At Autodesk, we believe that robots are coming for us. Instead of supplanting us, robots and humans will work side by side. Automation/augmentation technology will help us achieve what we want to achieve — not hinder us. We make software that helps work get done because Autodesk makes software for people who make things. If you're creating a high-performance car, a towering skyscraper, a smartphone, or a great film, your work can be aided by Autodesk applications and services. That's true now and will remain true in the future.

The Exhibit Hall was a massive space at #AU2017. We had some activities smack in the center regarding the future of work. One of these activities involved identifying that love/hate relationship with work.

We had a placard where one side read:

• I want to do less of...

and the other side read:

• so I can do more of...

Here were the instructions for this exercise:

1. Consider that the future of work is changing.
2. As it does, what do you want to spend less time on so you can spend more on something else?
3. Please share your thoughts with us.
4. Select a brick, write what you want to spend less time on, and add it to the stack on the table by snapping it in place.
5. Select a brick, write what you want to spend more time on, and add it to the stack on the table by snapping it in place.

AU Exhibit Hall visitors really enjoyed this exercise. Though many of the answers were less than serious, they found it cathartic.

• DO LESS OF

  The participants arranged the "spend less time doing" bricks in the shape of a sad, prison-like shape because they felt trapped into performing these activities out of necessity.

  

  Some of the most popular answers were:

  • Email
  • Meetings
  • Phone calls
  • Rework
  • Travel
  • Politics
  • Waste
  • Drawing

  My favorite answers were:

  • Toilet detailing
  • Bad 3D prints
  • Sheet Set Management
  • Punch list processing
  • Waiting on AI results
  • Eliminating the gap between design intent and "as built"

• DO MORE OF

  The participants arranged the "spend more time doing" bricks in the shape of connected pyramids because they felt happy about performing these activities out of desire.

  

  Some of the most popular answers were:

  • Exploring
  • Design
  • Creating
  • Making
  • Drawing

  My favorite answers were:

  • Generative design for civil site layout
  • Spending time with customers
  • Coding
  • VR
  • Cowbell ^[reference]

Though the cathartic effect was a nice side-effect of the exercise, the real intent was to determine what parts of people's jobs should Autodesk consider automating out of existence. If customers don't enjoy performing these activities, they will be glad to see them go. On the other hand, creativity and design were activities held in high regard which presents an interesting relationship to Generative Design which was the technology that AU visitors identified as being most excited about with regard to the future of their work. The key is to augment desirable activities to extend human abilities rather than supplant the need for people. We understand that. This exercise reinforced that understanding. Thanks to everyone who participated in the activity.

A Las Vegas-based work-study program was alive in the lab.