By: Matthew O’Reilly
“A brilliant solution to the wrong problem can be worse than no solution at all: solve the correct problem.”
― Donald A. Norman, The Design of Everyday Things
For those who have spent any time at all in the AV industry and, more specifically, in the higher education sphere, BYOD has always been a contentious issue. Still, what is the “correct problem” we are looking to solve? To most people, it means more training and more technology which inevitably adds complexity and can often add frustration for the client as they have to learn each of these new systems and the nuances of each room. Conversely, if our systems are equipped for a BYOD-only experience are we disenfranchising the client base who is comforted by knowing that there is always technology available when they need it at their fingertips?
As AV professionals, we work tirelessly to improve our own systems and processes in an attempt to make them more user-friendly and user-centric but what happens when an instructor comes in with a device and insists that they can ONLY use that device because of reason “X”? How do we ensure that our systems can interface appropriately and how do we provide an experience to the user that appears seamless? Any number of adapters can be attached to systems but not every adapter is created equal and what works on one laptop may not work on another. Wireless solutions can be cumbersome with additional software needing to be downloaded and potentially taking away valuable time from a lecture or presentation while the client struggles to install the necessary components only to find that their computer is too old to run specific software and requires an OS upgrade or other secondary intervention – or worst of all, if the guest speaker who came in has a computer so tightly locked by their own IT department that they are unable to load the install file, causing a mad dash for the technicians to come up with an appropriate solution if there’s no additional equipment built into the room.
I would posit that the greatest factor in a successful BYOD experience for the client is to build faith in the existing systems in place where the client’s device will connect and ensure faith in the team that supports it. The client already has faith in their own device. The resounding notes of “It always works at home” should be met with confidence that it will always work in the learning spaces. While devices may differ from manufacturer to manufacturer and even model to model, it’s imperative that the “at home” success is mimicked in the classroom or meeting space but, and I would argue more importantly, it is imperative that support staff and the designed systems in the spaces are capable of living up to the standards that the client base expects. We are tasked to replicate setups we have never seen and these successes should largely go unnoticed while the failure of these systems often incurs the wrath of a service ticket that begins with “The technology is terrible in this room…”. Our fundamental thoughts and designs must shift to a more client-centric approach that focuses on our overall design vision in all spaces and our staff. How do we develop trust and faith in our systems and staff from our user base? By approaching every design with empathy and with a client-centric view at the forefront.
As technologists, we often forget that we ourselves are clients and technology users and that our technical knowledge is often siloed in our own classrooms and meeting spaces. When we attend conferences, client meetings, or meetings with other higher education institutions, we often bring our own equipment to connect and just assume that it will work so why shouldn’t our clients feel the same? Our frustrations are shared when equipment goes down or we cannot connect easily to systems that are not our own. These are experiences that need to be retained and brought back to our own spaces where we are able to empathize with our own client base and understand where the pain points are. Only by allowing ourselves to be in the shoes of our clients and show them that we are on the same level only with a different area of expertise, will we be able to build faith in the technicians and the technology. This is how we solve what Don Norman refers to as the “correct problem.”
Matt O’Reilly has been in the technology sector for the last 19 years – all of it being spent in the Higher Education vertical. Matt currently serves as the Manager, Events and Classroom Experience at the University of Toronto Mississauga and holds the Certified Technology Specialist certification in Design (CTS-D) from the Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association (AVIXA) and is currently pursuing a Master of Information degree with a focus on Information Systems & Design and Environmental Studies. Matt can be reached on LinkedIn or by email at matt.oreilly@utoronto.ca.
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