Meetings are a Fact of Life
Typical corporate meetings involve a group of people reserving a conference room and meeting at a specific time. Everyone adjusts their schedule so that they can be in the right building and room for the meeting. While some meetings get off the ground quickly, others stumble. The participants all gather and say hello. Tom always has a hard time finding the right room so he will be a bit late. Sabine gets there early to get the projector set up. Hiromi and Steve need to find outlets for their laptops. Calista needs a WiFi password for net access but Ravi needs an ethernet outlet to be connected. When all is said and done, its 20-30 minutes before things get moving. Of course, this does not take into consideration the wasted time commuting if some participants had to drive in specifically for the meeting. There and back.
You would think in this digital age, there might be a better solution. I know I always felt there was a lot of wasted time at corporate meetings. Maybe its because of my long history working in and with startups. In startups people wear many hats, and things need to be efficient in order to get anywhere.
In my work now, I try to focus on having online video conferences instead of on-site meetings. That way I can have all my applications and files with me, present comps and even change designs live in response viewer suggestions. One of the advantages is I get visual confirmations from point people on the spot, saving days of e-mailing back and forth. It also removes that, “I need to say something…” phenomenon. Sometimes when people get a comp in their e-mail, they feel they need to say something or others might perceive them as not doing their job. The tendency in this case is to be critical when there probably isn’t anything wrong, just to have contributed and added something. To the contrary, I find that during a working video conference, everyone is in the same room watching designs morph and change. They feel more collaborative and don’t feel the same pressures. Once everybody sees it at the same time, they say what they want. Then the meeting is over and we have moved ahead, as opposed to “planning” to move ahead.
Most designers don’t like people looking over their shoulder watching them work. Me? I don’t care. That’s why I do it. Video Conferencing saves time and money. It also speeds projects along. The trick is you must be confident and have mastery over the programs that you use.
My typical online meeting is one where I call in to a meeting room in a corporation. Participants gather there and project my video. The majority of time I am “sharing” my computer screen and they are viewing project wireframes or designs. Sometimes a person or two joins via video so there are a couple of video streams. This has become so convenient that one company I meet with, prefers to use the multi-person video chat even though the two people I am meeting with are in offices directly across from each other.
How to Get Started
To be successful with video conferencing, there are a few things you need. Number one is a fast reliable Internet connection. Your client needs that too. I’m located in the Silicon Valley area of California and I mostly deal with tech companies, so this really hasn’t been a problem for me. But broadband has become cheaper and cheaper and I see no reason it has to be different anywhere else.
There are many services that provide a great video connection through proprietary hardware and software optimization. Products such as Logitech’s LifeSize and Cisco’s Telepresence take this approach. These are perfect for well-funded corporations but not necessarily for the hired gun such as myself.
There are less expensive services, many free, which can be utilized for video conferences. The most common is Skype, which now has a multi point feature. Skype is free, the multi-point feature is not. Still we’re looking at a drop in the bucket when you look at the savings, and almost everyone and his brother has Skype. Most importantly, Skype comes with screen-sharing capability built-in. WebEx is another software-only service (with a fee). It can also be useful, but it usually involves sharing a screen and cradling a cell phone on your neck to be part of the discussion. Not really my favorite thing to do.
My work always involves design visuals, but if that’s not needed, there are plenty of other apps out there, such as Logitech Vid, ooVoo, SightSpeed, Microsoft Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, Google Chat, etc. Too many to list here. Apple’s iChat is awesome but you need to have Macs on both ends, which isn’t something you can count on. I find Skype works best for me in most situations.
You will also need a webcam. They are usually built into most laptops. However, I can tell you that there is a reason external webcams exist. Basically its because they are better. The lenses are better, they are movable, they often have hardware video optimization. Many now offer HD video. I have found that if you are paying under $50 for your webcam, its probably not very good. If you buy an external, the whole point is to get something good. The general high quality consumer webcam will usually cost between $75 and $200. I have had very good performance from the Logitech HD Pro Webcam C910 which runs about $100. The Logitech QuickCam Orbit AF is great also if you want something that stands up by itself on your desk. The Orbit can actually be set to follow you around if you get up and they both have auto focus. Creative has a large selection of webcams as well, although I can’t comment on quality there. I also have not been impressed with Microsoft’s webcams so I wouldn’t suggest that either. As a rule of thumb, stay away from the “non brand” names as they are almost always junk.
If you are a designer (or if you work with one), video conferencing is a way to have more productive meetings and can get projects done and approved faster. It saves time and money and provides the freedom to work in a comfortable efficient environment.
By the way, Tom did finally show up for the meeting. However, he had a nasty cold. Now you have it too.
