The paper free office concept came from the 1980s and 90s when the
information age was taking off in a very big way with the introduction of
the Internet and email as forms of communication. This led to the
philosophy that offices could get away with using a lot less paper because
more information was stored on computers rather than, for example, in physical personal
address books.
Unfortunately, It would seem to me that this concept is dieing as I have
seen in most offices that I have visited and worked in. My suggested reasons for this
are as follows:
- Text is a lot easier to read on paper than it is on a computer screen
mainly due to the low resolution of type on screen compared to the
possible infinite resolution of the ink as a real object on a piece of
paper
- Official documents are still required to be printed, as changing a printed
document is harder than changing one stored electronically.
- Office workers still like to be able to have pieces of paper with phone
numbers, notes and appointments on view all the time so they don’t forget.
This is generally in the form of post-it notes.
- Writing something down on a piece of paper is generally quicker than typing out something on a keyboard which is relatively slow compared to handwriting for the average office worker (Apart from PAs who can touch type).
Computer companies around the world need to start developing electronic
products that improve upon the current available range in order to reduce
the destruction of the rainforest. Focussing on clearer, higher resolution screens and better input methods.