Written by: David Allara

It can be very disheartening, seeing your people not using a new technology system when your organisation has invested millions of dollars on it. You have spoken to the experts, you have looked at all the great technology options, you are convinced that what you are implementing is the right choice. But, for some reason, your people just don’t use the technology. Why is that?

Here are three of the top reasons or barriers to an AV Technology uptake.

The first one is that sometimes the technology is too hard to use.

Perhaps, there are too many steps to get the system working. So, eliminating the stepsis probably the key here. You should start by asking some simple questions like “how are you going to be using the technology?”, or “how many steps are there to use that system?” The more steps involved, the worst the experience can become. People are not really going to adopt to that technology, if it is too hard to use. You need to reduce those steps right down to one, or maximum two, so that it requires minimum training. By doing this you will see all of a sudden, the same people who were hesitating to use the technology, be starting to use it.

The second reason is mismatch of technology.

Sometimes people want something, while they really need something else. In such cases a proper Needs Analysis and Discovery can be very helpful. Again, you will need to ask questions like “why do you need this technology?”, “what do you need it for?” These are the type of questions that can help you make the right decision, especially if you are asking the right people.

The third, and the last reason is adoption.

This can sometimes be an emotional decision. You can do everything right, hire the right experts, involve the right people in the design process, but you might still find your people not wanting to adopt to the technology. As human beings, we need to like something, and more importantly we need to trust it, to be able to use it. These are two big barriers. And if you can’t overcome these barriers, it is difficult for people to uptake the technology.

As a tip from someone who has been working in the Audio Visual and Technology industry for a long time, I can tell you, we find that a Proof of Concept works really well in commercial projects. The idea of a Proof of Concept, is basically taking the time to trial a new technology solution on a small scale. Set it up in a dedicated area and invite different people in the organisation to come in and work with it. Let your people test out the new technology, and get comfortable with it, then obtain their real and honest feedback. This way I am sure you can overcome that trust barrier, and if you listen to what your people are saying, you can get the technology to a point where they like it, and start using it. Do this, and then watch the technology adoption go through the roof.