Dispatch Design Trends Shaping 2026
After decades of designing console workstations for public safety workplaces, we’ve become pretty good at spotting patterns. They emerge gradually and are reflected in the questions we hear during site visits, the challenges that surface at conferences, and the wish lists that begin to sound familiar across agencies.
Beyond the Workstation: 5 Missed Opportunities in Emergency Communications Design
The details that elevate an emergency communications center from functional to exceptional, according to the Watson team.
5in5 Series by Watson: Design Solutions Every Center Wants
We’re back with this year’s 5in5 Series, showcasing five of our favorite projects from the past year, each you can explore in under five minutes. These projects highlight the unique challenges our customers faced and the creative solutions our team brought to life. From rethinking floor plans to planning for the future, each case study shows how thoughtful design can transform how a center works.
Avoid the Surprises: What to Know Before Installation Day
You’ve done the research. You’ve evaluated vendors, selected features, and navigated the RFP process. But the work isn’t over yet. The installation phase is where everything comes together-and it should be a rewarding experience, not a stressful one.
Space and Productivity: Why Customized Storage Solutions Matter
Streamlining ECC Workspaces Organization is critical in an Emergency Communications Center (ECC). Dispatchers need workstations to support productivity, speed, and workflows while accommodating personal items, essential tools, and shared resources. Without well-planned storage, clutter builds up, response times slow, and takes a hit; and there’s nothing worse than essential tools getting misplaced, personal items piling […]
Transforming Spaces with Color: How Console Finishes Enhance Wellbeing
Color in a space is more than just a design choice. It shapes how we feel, behave, and even our work performance. For high-stress work environments, such as emergency communication centers (ECCs), choosing the right colors and finishes can significantly improve mood and productivity.
Introducing Watson's 5in5 Series: Center Projects that Inspire Envy
We’re excited to launch our 5in5 Series, where we’ll showcase five standout projects from the past year – each you can explore in under 5 minutes. These aren’t just ordinary projects – they’re top-notch spaces that pushed our team to think creatively, and approach space planning in new ways, outside the box while keeping our customers’ needs at the forefront.
5 Smart Solutions to Get the Most Out of Your Space Plan
You never have enough space. With long shifts on dispatch, multiple people using the same workstation, or the many tasks you take on in public safety, you quickly learn that you need to use every inch of your console or office to its best ability. Whether it’s training rooms, communication hubs, or shared workstations, efficiently using space can transform your center and boost productivity and your team’s effectiveness.
3 Key Areas to Improve Your ECC with Function and Design
Creating an efficient and cohesive Emergency Communications Center (ECC) demands a careful balance between function and design. ECCs need specialized furniture solutions that support the critical nature of the work while ensuring the comfort and well-being of the staff.
3 Steps to Improving Telecommunicator Health with Console Design
Learn about the role of consoles in telecommunicators’ health and wellness with three center considerations to increase support.
Empowering Dispatchers: The Critical Role of a well-designed console in a training environment.
Learn about console design considerations to enhance your training process with Watson Consoles, and We Speak Dispatch.
What Matters Most: Insights from Watson's Design Survey
We recently invited the dispatch community to participate in a survey about the future of Console design. From dispatchers to IT to center managers, we were eager to learn from the experts what matters to you as we launch into our design phase this fall, so that we could keep your feedback as our guiding […]
Considerations when Designing a Control Center
As the brain stem for emergency response, PSAPs are critical to smooth and safe operations. A PSAP must provide a stable and distraction-free environment to monitor, assess, and respond to a wide variety of operations and incidents. While issues like focus and response time are often top priorities when designing a PSAP, some equally important factors often are treated as afterthoughts. Here are some design tactics to consider to increase job quality, safety, and satisfaction for dispatchers and operators.
Green Manufacturing, the Pacific Northwest Way
At Watson, environmental friendliness isn’t just a fad. It is a standard we have been committed to from the start. As a Pacific NW company, Watson Consoles are built to satisfy the need for comfort and convenience within dispatch centers, while remaining committed to doing our part in protecting the environment.
Great Ways to Improve Dispatch Center Air Quality
Indoor air quality plays an integral role in employee health, happiness, and overall morale. Within dispatch centers, proper air quality management holds even greater importance, due to the hours employees put in and need for optimal focus and comfort.
Space-Saving Call Center Desks: Inline vs Corner
When it comes to setting up a dispatch call center, maximizing space is always at the top of the list. For years, PSAP call centers have been almost exclusively equipped with corner desks, but that dynamic is changing. Technology has evolved greatly over the years, becoming less bulky and weighing a fraction of old hardware. Desks have evolved to cope with modern computing needs, and old standards are being questioned.
Should my Dispatch Center LEED with Red Lists Materials?
The short answer is. “heck no!” And here’s why. As agencies prioritize the health of their teams, they are turning to indoor air quality and LEED certifications for assurance that building materials and interior furnishings meet healthful standards. Red list materials are a no-go for agencies seeking products that are designed with the user’s health in mind. Read on to learn more.
Watson's Dispatch Workstations Contain Healthy Materials
Watson Consoles is known for lasting durability and sophisticated design. These attributes are achieved in concert with a commitment to minimize our impact on our Earth. Learn why a recent materials change matters to the folks that make your 911 dispatch workstations and how the change improves your work environment.
2018 Top 5 Blogs for High Performance PSAP Teams
Project profiles, tips from industry pros and the latest information on dispatch console workstations are a few of the things you’ll find on the Watson Consoles’ blog. Here are the top five blogs of 2018. Check these out and see why thousands of dispatchers are active subscribers.
The Cornerstone of Effective PSAP Workplace Design
This article follows our previous discussion about the impact of workplace design on employees. Today we’ll discuss the best way for PSAPs to prioritize workplace design elements. This includes surveying the team and creating a workstation spec that supports PSAP engagement and retention strategies.
Do Your Public Safety Dispatch Consoles Have Multi-ports?
Advances in linear dispatch console workstation design have put users first – technology integration has improved and user comfort and focus features are more efficient and effective. Teams now have outstanding options for desktop convenience power and data. What are the convenience port solutions for operators who prefer the conventional 90 degree, corner unit?
How to Design a PSAP to Maximize Dispatch Team Space
You just found out your dispatch center is getting a new building, and you can’t wait for the architects to finish the building design so you can start planning your new dispatch furniture layout. Not only can you not wait, you shouldn’t wait! Here’s why.
Dispatcher Desk Solutions for Emerging 911 Technology
Old-school police officers can recount the days of the desk sergeant sitting with his feet up, waiting for the phone to ring and putting out calls over the one button radio. Dispatching was simpler back then. As societal norms have grown more complex, the role and technology of first responders has matched the pace.
Public safety call center technology has progressed incredibly far, allowing quicker response times and more accuracy. Technology advancement has improved nearly every aspect of dispatching. As systems advance, they have become more complex. Within the scope of modern emergency communications technology, foremost in the mind of call center administrators are systems like NG911, Firstnet, CAD and other high-end public safety management software.
5 MORE Signs you Should Invest in New 911 Dispatcher Desks
In the last installment, 5 Signs you Should Invest in New Dispatcher Desks, we shared the top reasons many PSAPs are prompted to seek funding for work station replacements. Making a case for replacement dispatcher desks and obtaining funding can be a long process. Start by identifying the need(s). Here are five MORE signs that your center may be ready for workstation replacements.