Flight search engine Skyscanner has recently moved into a new office located in Budapest, Hungary and designed by Madilancos Studio and an inhouse team. The Budapest office is Skyscanner’s app development hub, home to iOS and Android developers, designers, researchers and product managers all focused on mobile at their core. We moved to K6 building in the heart of the city in July 2014. Our new working environment was great originally but we decided to give it a fresh design to make it more like us.

Being a product-focused company, we believe that nearly everything can be considered as a product, and so we approached a redesign of our new larger office with the same methods we’d apply to a new product. And what’s the first thing you bear in mind when starting a product? Your users! Our ‘product’ feedback from the team included calls for a herb garden and a huge live plant wall, Lego walls, quirky furniture and enormous paintings of Superheroes.

Product localisation is an imperative, and so too in office design. We’ve Hungarian designer lamps hanging in the meeting rooms and above the lunch tables, and a big puzzle map of Budapest on meeting room tables. Built-in furniture was custom-made locally too, while a competition across Budapest-based staff resulted in an incredible 800 pixel, 13.5m wall mural.

The team, like the wider Skyscanner cohort, work quickly, across time zones and international teams. Little wonder then, that we’re not a ‘stay-at your desk’ sort of place. So, in our design we’ve incorporated grassy areas, cocoons, beanbags and sofas, as well as chill-out rooms to ensure collaboration and creativity is easy.

Since our office launch (8th September 2015) we have been constantly measuring our product performance and iterate if necessary. And we don’t forget to enjoy ourselves in this great environment!

Design: Madilancos Studio & Skyscanner Design Guide
Photography: András Tóth, Ákos Babecz, Zoltán Kolozsvári

http://officesnapshots.com/2015/12/01/skyscanner-budapest-offices/