Abstract

Facilities management functions invariably interface with built environment design and construction. In achieving organisational goals effectively, facilities design of the service environment should originate from client and end user requirement. Within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), there is ever-increasing acknowledgment of the importance of the student experience, which is regarded as an important criteria to focus on when there is a desire for increased organisational performance. This paper explains the background of the research which considers performance measurement in service organisation and reports on the findings of a research project aimed at identifying and incorporating the students’ preferences of design criteria for library facilities. It discusses Repertory Grid Technique (RGT) which is the research instrument used. This takes a constructivist approach and can act as a major tool of enquiry and provides an understanding of the essence of how people view the world in a qualitative research enquiry. The paper explains the technique, data collection process and the outcome of the analysis. It also discussed the advantages and disadvantages of using this approach and goes further to triangulate the findings using a quantitative methodology (namely cluster analysis).