Coworking Space & Shared Office Desk Lottery Ideas for Member Satisfaction

"Window seats are first-come first-served, called unfair" "Same people always take good seats with hot-desking" "Increasing member complaints about 'can't get seats'"

In coworking space and shared office operations, desk/seat assignment is a crucial element affecting member satisfaction.

This article explains fair, transparent desk lottery methods and introduces operational know-how to improve member satisfaction.

3 Challenges of Desk Assignment

Challenge 1: First-Come First-Served Unfairness

Problems:

• People who can come at opening time advantaged
• People delayed by work can't get good seats
• Same people monopolize window seats/quiet areas daily
• "Unfair" complaints

Member voices:

"Full by 8AM every morning. I arrive at 9AM with no choices" "Always same person at window seat"

Challenge 2: Disparity Between Popular and Unpopular Seats

Popular seat features:

• Window seats (natural light)
• Quiet areas (far from meeting rooms)
• Power/monitor equipped
• Individual booths

Unpopular seat features:

• Aisle-side (high foot traffic)
• Direct AC hit
• Power far away
• Close to neighbors

Result:

• Scramble for popular seats
• Unpopular seats always empty
• Inefficient space use

Challenge 3: Price Gap Between Fixed and Hot Desks

Pricing dilemma:

Fixed seat plan: $300/month → Sells
Hot desk plan: $150/month → Can't get popular seats, dissatisfaction

Problem: Low hot desk member satisfaction

Operational concerns:

• Increasing fixed seats raises revenue but loses flexibility when full
• How to resolve hot desk member dissatisfaction

4 Fair Desk Lottery Methods

Method 1: Daily Lottery (Every Morning)

How it works:

1. Reserve next day's seat by 8PM previous day
2. Decide popular seats by lottery
3. Email results at 8AM on day

Implementation example:

【7PM Previous Day】
Reservation form published (Google Form or dedicated app)

【8PM Previous Day】
Reservation deadline, lottery for overlapping seats

【8AM Current Day】
Lottery results emailed
"Tomorrow's desk: A-15 (window seat)"

Merits:

• Daily fair chance
• Not first-come first-served
• Peace of mind knowing seat in advance

Demerits:

• Operational effort (daily lottery)
• Inconvenient for those wanting same seat

Recommendation: 4/5

Best for:

• 50 or fewer members
• 20-30 desks
• Hot desk focused

Method 2: Weekly Lottery (Monday Decides Week)

How it works:

1. Collect next week preferences every Friday
2. Conduct lottery Saturday
3. Email notification Sunday

Implementation example:

【Friday 5PM】
Reservation form published
"Choose preferred seats for next week (Mon-Fri)"

【Saturday 10AM】
Conduct lottery using [Amida-san](https://amida-san.com)

【Sunday 8PM】
Results notification
"Next week's seats: Mon=A-10, Tue=B-05, Wed=A-10, Thu=C-02, Fri=A-10"

Merits:

• Easy weekly planning
• Operational effort once per week
• High fairness

Demerits:

• Cannot change mid-week
• Low flexibility

Recommendation: 3/5

Best for:

• 50-100 members
• Combined fixed and hot desks
• Large facilities

Method 3: Point System (Priority Management)

How it works: Members given points, consume points to reserve popular seats

Point example:

【Point Allocation】
- Month start: 100 points to all
- +10 points per attendance day

【Point Consumption】
- S seat (window/booth): 30 points
- A seat (quiet area): 20 points
- B seat (regular area): 10 points
- C seat (aisle): 0 points

Implementation example:

Tanaka (100 points at month start):
Monday: S seat reserved (-30pts, 70 remaining)
Tuesday: A seat reserved (-20pts, 50 remaining)
Wednesday: Insufficient points, B seat (-10pts, 40 remaining)

Merits:

• Strategic seat selection
• Can secure good seats on important days
• Promotes unpopular seat use

Demerits:

• Complex system
• Requires systematization
• Takes time to explain

Recommendation: 4/5 (Large facilities)

Best for:

• 100+ members
• IT systems in place
• Diverse seat types

Method 4: Group Division Rotation

How it works: Divide members into groups, rotate priority areas weekly

Implementation example:

【Group Division】(Decided by lottery)
Group A: 30 people
Group B: 30 people
Group C: 30 people

【Weekly Rotation】
Week 1: Group A→window priority, Group B→center, Group C→aisle
Week 2: Group B→window priority, Group C→center, Group A→aisle
Week 3: Group C→window priority, Group A→center, Group B→aisle

Merits:

• Long-term fairness
• Everyone experiences good seats
• Simple operations

Demerits:

• Requires group division
• 3-week cycle long

Recommendation: 3/5

Best for:

• Stable member count
• Many fixed members
• Simple operations priority

Practical Example: Coworking Space (80 Members, 40 Desks)

Pre-Implementation Challenges

Problems:

• Hot desk members (50) scrambling for 20 window seats
• Full by 8AM every morning
• Fixed seat members (30) satisfied, hot desk dissatisfaction high
• High cancellation rate (5% monthly)

Implemented Method: Weekly Lottery

Step 1: Member Explanation (1 Month Before Implementation)

【About Desk Lottery System Implementation】

To ensure fairness for all members,
implementing weekly desk lottery system from November.

【Method】
- Submit next week's preferred seats every Friday
- Conduct lottery Saturday
- Notify results Sunday

【Benefits】
- Fair chance for everyone
- No need for early morning
- Peace of mind knowing seats in advance

Contact operations with questions.

Step 2: First Lottery (November Week 1)

【Friday 5PM】
Google Form published
"Choose preferred seat area for next week"
- Window area (A)
- Center area (B)
- Aisle area (C)
- Anywhere OK

【Saturday 10AM】
Lottery using [Amida-san](https://amida-san.com)
30 want windows → 20 seats → 10 to center area

【Sunday 8PM】
Results notification email
"Tanaka's next week seats: Mon=A-10, Tue=A-12, Wed=A-10, Thu=A-15, Fri=A-10"

Step 3: Operations Start (Monday)

• Members sit in assigned seats
• Smooth start
• Satisfaction survey (after 1 week)

Post-Implementation Effects

Quantitative effects:

【Before Implementation】
- Hot desk member satisfaction: 60%
- Cancellation rate: 5%/month
- Complaints: 10/month

【After Implementation (3 months)】
- Hot desk member satisfaction: 85%
- Cancellation rate: 2%/month
- Complaints: 1/month

Qualitative effects:

"Fair and happy. No need to wake up early" (Member A) "Looking forward to weeks with window seats" (Member B) "High transparency, acceptable" (Member C)

Tips to Improve Member Satisfaction

Tip 1: Ensure Transparency of Lottery Method

URL disclosure:

【This Week's Lottery Results】

Lottery conducted here:
https://amida-san.com/events/coworking-week45

All members participated in lottery process,
fairness guaranteed.

Please verify.

Effect:

• Eliminate distrust
• Ensure transparency
• Improve member trust

Tip 2: Make Unpopular Seats Attractive

Improvement examples:

• C seats (aisle) → Install 2 monitors
• C seats → More power outlets
• C seats → Install soundproof panels as "focus booths"

Effect:

• C seat popularity rises
• Lottery odds equalize
• Effective space use

Tip 3: Collect Feedback

Monthly survey:

【About Desk Lottery System】

1. Satisfaction (5-point scale)
2. Improvement requests
3. New seat type requests

Effect:

• Continuous improvement
• Reflect member voices
• Satisfaction improvement

FAQs

Q1: Fairness with fixed seat members?

A: Fixed seat members pay higher fees (2x), so service difference is natural. However, some facilities implement "area lottery" even for fixed seats.

Q2: What happens to lottery losers?

A: Automatically assigned to available seats. Also, combining with point system can give next time priority.

Q3: Can handle urgent changes?

A: For weekly lottery, mid-week changes not allowed in principle, but operational adjustment possible for emergencies (illness, etc.).

Q4: Is systematization required?

A: Small scale (50 or fewer members) sufficient with Google Form + Amida-san. Large scale (100+) consider dedicated system.

Q5: How much does it cost?

A: Google Form + Amida-san completely free. Dedicated system typically $300-1,000/month.

Summary: Improve Satisfaction Through Fair Operations

Coworking space and shared office desk lotteries directly impact member satisfaction and cancellation rates.

Success points:

1. Implement fair lottery system
2. Ensure transparency (URL disclosure)
3. Make unpopular seats attractive
4. Collect regular feedback
5. Adopt mathematically fair methods

Especially, lottery using Amida-san:

• Completely free
• URL ensures transparency
• Members easily satisfied
• Easy implementation

Try it at your next desk lottery.

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• Fair Role Assignment Methods
• Ladder Lottery Mechanism and Fairness
• Mathematically Proven Fairness
• Online Lottery Best Practices