Overview
ISO/IEC TR 18720:2024 - "Information technology - User interfaces - Use cases of serviced offices" is a Technical Report that documents common use cases, actors and service patterns for serviced offices as a form of the third workplace (workplaces other than the main office or home). The report illustrates how serviced offices are used for flexible working hours and places, presents market forecasts, defines key terms (e.g., partitioned, box, room and open type offices, coworking place, satellite office, cyber office) and supplies annexes with actor lists and classified use‑case diagrams. The introduction notes an intent to inform development of UI elements (for example icons used on search and booking sites).
Key topics
- Scope & terminology: clear definitions for telework, third workplace, serviced office, coworking, workcation and office typologies.
- Use‑case catalogs: typical scenarios grouped into categories such as daily work, touch‑down work and collaboration work, with details for meeting, printing, mail handling, events and rest.
- Facilities, equipment and services: lists of required and optional resources (Internet, furniture, power, conference booths, monitors, projectors, 3D printers, infection control, disinfection services, etc.). Distinguishes persistent attributes (core facilities) from temporal attributes (time‑varying service needs).
- Actors & classification: annexes enumerating actors (users, facility managers, service providers) and diagrams linking actors to use cases to aid system and UI design.
- Market context: worldwide forecasts included (projected annual growth ~21.3% and ~5 million people using serviced offices by 2024, ~158% increase vs. 2020), useful for business planning.
Practical applications
- Workspace and facility managers can use the use‑case catalogue to design service packages, layout choices (box vs open), accessibility measures and operational procedures.
- UX, product and software teams (search portals, booking platforms, directory services) can leverage the documented actors and use cases to design intuitive user interfaces and icons for discovery, filtering and booking workflows.
- Corporate real‑estate planners and HR teams can map employee needs to serviced‑office options (touch‑down, collaboration or concentrated work).
- Policymakers and urban planners can use market forecasts and third‑workplace concepts to inform local infrastructure and transport planning.
Related standards
- This Technical Report contains no normative references but is produced by ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 35 (User interfaces). It is complementary to standards on accessibility, ICT ergonomics and user‑interface iconography and can be used alongside those documents to implement inclusive, searchable serviced‑office offerings.
Keywords: serviced offices, third workplace, use cases, user interfaces, coworking, flexible working, workspace design, facility services, telework, booking UI.