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Integrate 2018

Adrian – So, about three years ago, I actually used to work on one of these booths. And we used to get consultants who would come by the booths and asked a really great inquisitive questions and, you know, I vowed three years ago to become a consultant myself. So, we’re here at Integrate 2018 and it’s, sort of, coming of age mode for me because, you know, now is my turn to be the one who goes to the booths and asks all the questions.

Fae – Hi, this is Fae from Konnectus. So, for someone like me coming from an architectural background to Audio Visual, it’s just fascinating to see how technology has advanced. We all remember that until, just a few years ago, architects had to use straight lines and so they were, actually, they were designing around technology, but now technology is taking shape around those different curves of architecture.

Adrian – So, when people ask me why high brightness and why high definition, I say to you this… This picture is actually a projector screen.

Adrian – That was Integrate 2018, behind the flashing lights and holograms, it’s always important to stop and take what the exhibitors say with a grain of salt.

Fae – That’s right Adrian. Expos have a habit of showcasing what their products do really well, but they always try to hide any flaws with their products.

Adrian – That’s why it’s always important to consult an expert whenever considering different technology options. Here at konnectus, we generally bench test these claims from different manufacturers, but also encourage our Clients to do a Proof of Concept in their office to see how it works in their environment.

Fae – If you wish to talk to us about any of these new technologies, please feel free to contact us via our website konnectus.com.au. Thanks for watching.

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Fit for Purpose Technology for “Mary & Bob”

Did you know that the vast majority of AV systems are actually not used by people or, in many cases, definitely not used to their full capabilities? Now, why is that? Well, the main reason is due to these systems not being designed for the people that are actually using them.  Now, that’s quite puzzling you might think. But unfortunately, it’s the truth.

There are two key people in every single AV project.  And they’re not the AV specialists or the AV designers. They are the people that I call “Mary and Bob”. Now “Mary and Bob” are the people that use the AV systems and they’re so important in every single project. You see, imagine this scenario. You have the best AV designers, you have the best complementary team: architects, builders, installers etc. The equipment is fantastic. Everything is planned out and thought about perfectly, to the millimetre. The systems are commissioned perfectly. At the end of the project, the end solution is all singing and dancing. But you know what? If no one has bothered to speak to “Mary and Bob” and understand their requirements, the entire project  will have been a complete waste of time and become another one of those AV systems, which unfortunately, won’t get used.

So, let’s look at some examples of “Mary and Bob” in the real world. In a workspace environment, in that boardroom, the training room, conference rooms, the huddle spaces, “Mary and Bob” are using all of those AV systems. Or what about in a teaching environment like a University, or a school? “Mary and Bob” could be the teacher running the class, or they might be the students using the AV systems. Or what about in a court of law, or a hearing room? The judge, or the court operator, or the solicitor presenting evidence, they could all be “Mary and Bob”. In a more sophisticated space like an entertainment venue, an auditorium, “Mary or Bob” could be operating that mixing desk or located back in the control room, operating all of the AV systems in a live event. Maybe a very simple scenario could be a sound system in a restaurant. “Mary or Bob” has to operate that as well. What about a digital signage system, which are ever so popular now? You need to keep that content fresh and up to date and “Mary and Bob” have that responsibility.

“Mary and Bob” are so important and they are at the centre of every single AV project. And that’s why we, here at konnectus, think about “Mary and Bob” first and foremost before we even look at designing anything. We want to get to know them. We want to understand their world. What’s their current situation? What’s their desired situation? When do they need to use technology? When do they not? What do they need AV technology for, specifically? And on and on we go. So, the better we know “Mary and Bob”, the more accurate we can put together an AV system that truly meets their needs and requirements. Importantly, this then gives us confidence that the AV systems are actually going to get used.

So, on your next project, remember not to forget about “Mary and Bob”.

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Three keys of needs analysis in AVT Projects

Have you ever been tasked with delivering a technology project in your organisation but you’re not really clear on how to do it, why you’re doing it, or who it should be for? You might have been given some vague direction from those running the organisation but you feel a little overwhelmed and unsure on where to begin. That’s perfectly natural and happens all the time.

Every successful project starts with a thorough “Needs Analysis and Discovery Process”. This essentially means doing some research both within your organisation and outside of it. There are basically Three Must Do Steps which we always go through with our Clients.

The First Step is to uncover the true business requirements. When we recently worked on a large office accommodation project with the Star Entertainment Group, we took the time, together with the rest of the project team, to actually go and interview people in the different business units. This helped us understand what people were doing each day and how they’re interacting with others both inside and outside of the company.

Now, Star initially told us that they needed lots of video conferencing for their new offices. But after doing the interviews, we quickly discovered that the true requirement was actually quite low. There were only a few key people and business units that needed video conferencing as a communication tool. So, just by doing this relatively quick Needs Analysis study, we were able to potentially save hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Star Group nationally.

The next step is understanding your technology options. We recommend you work with an independent expert and get them to clearly explain and show you some of the different technologies. This could mean you go to showrooms, you have demonstrations, or maybe put a Proof of Concept system together. I can’t emphasise enough how important it is to experience technology in a hands-on way.

Think about the last time you went shopping for a new mobile phone. After picking out three or four different models and having a play, it probably didn’t take you long to identify your preferred one. However, would you have arrived at the same decision just by looking at the product brochures, or by relying on a salesman recommendation? Unlikely. So, take the time to do a proper assessment of options and settle on a technology mix that makes the most sense for your business needs.

The last step is to develop and document a clear brief and budget for the project. This is where your technology requirements are defined in a little bit more detail. So, in the case of the Star Group, we held a series of workshops with the key project stakeholders to agree on the definitive technologies and user experiences that were needed for each room and space type. The outcome of these workshops was a written technology brief customised to meet their business needs.

We also put together some detailed cost estimations for all the technology in those different spaces and by understanding the up front and ongoing investments, Star were then able to accurately plan their technology spend for the first of their new ABW workspace locations in Sydney.

So, just to wrap up guys. Doing a proper Needs Analysis and Discovery in your next technology project is a very important first step that should not be overlooked. Remember the Three Must Do’s and do them in this order: First, uncover the true business requirements. Second, understand your technology options and use an independent partner to help you with this. And third, develop a clear written brief of the final technology requirements as well as the associated investment. You will then have clarity and a plan and be able to start the design and implementation phases of your project with confidence.

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Meeting Room Tech that Works First Time

David – In this video we’re going to talk about probably the most common problem we seem to hear all the time from organisations, and that is about just connecting their laptops onto a presentation screen in a Meeting Room of sorts. It seems always be such a difficultl thing to do or a big pain point for them. Why is that? Let’s have a look at this Meeting Room here and tell us what we’re seeing.

Jonathan – Well, you walked into a Meeting Room here, I can see you’ve got your surface but your presented with a mess on the table. You’ve got many different cables to connect. DVI I see, HDMI, Display Port, Audio. There’s a keyboard and mouse. There’s even Barco ClickShare. I can see you’re confused. You don’t know what to do here.

David – I am, Jonathan. Straight away, I am on the back forth here. I don’t really know which one of these I’m supposed to choose. I’ve got all of these options and a few of them could potentially work on my device, but which one is the right one? I don’t know. Straight away I’m going to be feeling a little bit anxious, and nervous, and I’m going to waste people’s time, and I could be trying to make a big presentation to my peers, or my boss, or any important Clients.  It’s not a good way to start a meeting and more than likely we’re going to be 5 minutes late at best.

Jonathan – Well, let’s have a look at some of the ways that we’ve solved this exact problem for our Customers. Here, this picture is significantly different. Streamlined and clean table. There’s one cable to connect to the laptop and you know exactly what to do.

David – And here’s another example of the exact same thing, Jonathan. The Customer, in this case, wanted to have a resident PC. It’s the only way to present onto those screens and they’ve also provided a keyboard and mouse. So, it’s, basically, just like a workstation, or your PC at home. Almost everyone knows exactly what to do there. They go, sit down, and start using the technology.

Jonathan – This one here, we’ve got two screens. But again, it’s very simple. There’s one way to present: Barco ClickShare. You take the dongle, plug it into your laptop, and your presenting; streamlined.

David – And this last one is the Microsoft Surface Hub. This product is so simple to use but it’s got a lot of features packed into it. You basically walk up in the room, and you got three choices: you can use the whiteboarding function, you can present your laptop to the screen, or you can make a Skype for Business call. It’s all quick and easy, and quick and easy is exactly the summary here. We’ve come up with four examples for some of our customers where we’ve removed the complexity and we’ve given them one way to connect so they can be in those Meeting Rooms and be up and running in seconds.

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Top 3 Barriers to AV Technology Uptake

David – Adrian, there is a situation that can be so disheartening. Let me paint this picture for you. You’ve gone to the trouble of investing hundreds of thousands, if not, millions of dollars in new technology for your organisation. Okay. You’ve spoken to the experts; you’ve looked at all the great technology options; you’re convinced that what you’re implementing is the right choice. But for some reason, the people just aren’t using the technology. Why is that?

 

Adrian – So, we’ve boiled it down to three simple reasons. The first one is that sometimes the technology is too hard to use. I used to have these big headphones and to play music, I would have to pair with my phone and do all the stuff on my phone to make sure it synced up. But if you look at Apple Air Pods, all you have to do is open the case. It syncs automatically and you can play music straight away.

 

David – Oh okay! So, eliminating the steps is probably the key there, isn’t it? You’ve got to be asking those “How” questions. “How are you going to be using the technology? “How many steps are there to use that system? Is it two, three, four, or five?” And the more steps involved, the worse the experience. People aren’t going to adopt that technology. It’s too hard. You need to reduce those steps right down to one, maximum two. This requires minimal training and all of a sudden people are just going to get right into using that technology.

 

Adrian – Absolutely, Dave. The second reason is a mismatch of technology. Sometimes people want something, when really, they need something else. I get asked these kinds of questions. People are like “I’m going to go travelling, I want to buy a camera” or “I’ve just had a baby; I want a camera” and they ask me what camera to get and I keep telling them “You don’t need a camera. You already have a really great camera on your phone”.

 

David – Oh, I see. So, this is sort of, a case of doing the proper “Needs Analysis and Discovery”, isn’t it? If you don’t do that, if you don’t ask the right questions, “Why do you need this?”, “What do you need that technology for?” If you don’t ask people those “Why and What” questions, you could be making some mistakes. That simple example, if you kept asking “Why do you need that camera?”, “Why do you need that?” “What are you going to use it for?”, you would’ve found that they don’t actually need it. It would’ve been a wasted investment.

 

Adrian – Yeah, absolutely. So, the third reason is actually quite a hard one to explain. Adoption is a bit of an emotional decision. You can do everything right, like you’ve said, hire the right experts, involve the right people in the design process, but people still won’t adopt the technology. An analogy I would like to use is people paying for things with their phone. Some thought this concept was going to take over the world but, in reality, only 1% of people use their phone to pay for things.

 

David – Yeah, Adrian, this is a classic. We, as people, need to like something. We also need to trust it. They’re two big barriers and if you can’t overcome those barriers, it’s difficult for people to uptake new technology. I’ll give you a tip of what we find really works well in commercial projects. It’s a Proof of Concept. This means taking the time before a major project to get some new technology in, put it in a part of the building and invite people to come and work with it, test it out, get comfortable with it, and give some feedback. They will overcome that trust barrier and, if you listen to their feedback on user experience, you’ll be able to tweak the technology to a point where people like it. You’ll then overcome the uptake barrier and your adoption is going to go through the roof.

 

Adrian – Thank you so much for watching. We’re confident that when you follow these three steps, people will be more willing to adopt the new technology in your next project.

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Video Conferencing Part III

 

Hello! Welcome to another Tech Talk with Konnectus.  This is David. And I’m Jonathan.  And this is our final part of our three-part series on Video Conferencing.  Today, we’re going to be talking about the environmental properties of the room and how it affects the Video Conferencing experience.  So, let’s jump straight in Dave.  What is the main equipment in the Video Conferencing Room? Well, there are four pieces of Video Conferencing Equipment Jonathan.  We have, obviously, the display screen which you look at to see who you’re talking to on the call.  You have a microphone, or a series of microphones, which are used to capture what is being said by the people inside the room during the call.  You have a camera, or series of cameras, and these are obviously capturing the vision of the people inside the room.  And then you have some loudspeakers playing back the audio from the people on the other side of the conference call. Great!  So that’s the main equipment.  Now, where do we actually see it?  How do we arrange the room? This is the key, Jonathan.  You need to make sure that the sightlines are being respected here.  So, we need to choose a table which allows everybody around it to clearly see the display screens.  And secondly, for the camera or cameras to clearly see the front of the faces of all the people sitting around the table.  So, long, thin tables in those boardrooms, they’re definitely no good.  What you prefer to have is something more like a V-shape table or U-shape table.  That’ll be a much better design. Yeah, right.

Now, the next one is I’ve been on the end of the call where it’s very hard to hear people. So, what do we need to do to address that? Right. So, acoustics Jonathan, I think you’re alluding to.  It’s very important that you can see the room and how it’s going to sound.  That’s a little bit difficult to do on paper, but I guess there’s a rule of thumb that you could look at to be fine every time.  If you could have at least two adjacent surfaces in a room, for example, two walls.  If those two walls could be treated acoustically, then the other surfaces in the room could be hard and a little bit reflective, like glass or chip rock walls, that will be fine but at least two which are adjacent, that’s the key.

Now, the other one that I find always a problem is, people who are dark on camera and hard to see, you can’t see the expressions on their face.  How do you address that? Right.  Lighting is a big one, Jonathan.  I guess there’s two parts here.  First of all, we need to be controlling the ambient light that’s flowing into the room.  For example, if you have a room with big windows or gets a lot of sunlight during the day, you want to make sure, first of all, you can have some blinds, shades, curtains to control that light coming in or you could choose a room with no windows which is even easier.  Now, once we’ve controlled the ambient light, we need to control the artificial lights.  So here, I guess the rule of thumb is don’t look to design lighting where the lights coming directly down from above on to people’s faces and casting shadows.  Instead, what you want to have as the objective is a more even, sort of, flood of light throughout the room where people’s faces are evenly lit and well-lit.  You can even use the tables to bounce some light off if you’ve got a light-colored table.

Well, you touched on the table there so, what about the interior design?  Do I want nice artwork behind people so they can see it? No.  I’d always say you definitely don’t want that.  You see, the key when we talk about interior design of the room Jonathan is the people are the focus, they are the subject of the video conference call.  So, let’s keep the attention on them.  Okay?  So, I think just some neutral kind of soft color in the background on the walls and soft furnishings is perfectly fine.  You need to be avoiding, you know, those strong patterns or, you know, beautiful artwork pieces in the background of the camera.  That’s not really the right room, a video conferencing room.  You can put those in other areas or, perhaps, to the sides. Right. Got it, Dave.

Well, that concludes our three-part series on Video Conferencing, Jonathan.  So, for more great tech talks, or a free consultation, visit us at konnectus.com.au.