AKKC Hybrid-meetings
Members of the team
Bengül Kisioglu
Justin DeRidder Clarke
Priyank Nileshkumar Shankar
Rosanthan Thanabalan
Sidsel Hillersborg Jensen
Tsai Shih-Hsien
This case focuses on how to design a more interactive networking experience for online participants, since the lack of physical contact makes the interactions difficult for the companies. Furthermore the case looks into how hybrid meetings can be improved upon and try to simulate if not re-create the same sort of experience as being present at the meeting, exhibition or event.
Problem statement: To make people feel involved (ensuring networking) in hybrid meeting by providing same experience as in-house.
It should be exclusive enough, so companies are willing to pay for the service. Also it should be easy to use and understand by the people attending the meeting both online and present, so outsourced technical professionals don’t have to monitor every meeting.
Concept video
Planing of data collection
With the direction in place, the group has looked through different sorts of methods for collecting empirical data. Being interested in the people attending (both attendees and organizer), the group decided upon doing semi structured interviews as the main datasource. Interviews are being done for both target audiences. The main objective of the interviews are to understand the experience both perspectives have, when it comes to being at an external business meeting or exhibition, and how the appearance of covid-19 has affected the amount of digital home meetings and possible interest in hybrid business meetings at locations such as AKKC. We are also interested in understanding what their previous experiences are with AKKC, if any at all. Lastly we want to look into the current networking possibilities and see if they have changed because of the digitization.
To get a better understanding of the business meeting environment, the group wanted to observe a few meetings and through video observation be able to look through the data footage, and see how the interactions between people and technology would occur. But because both covid-19, the privacy of companies and timeframe the group instead took an alternative in video observing an university class. Since the class is a hybrid of digital- and present students, the data collection still has relevance in showing the dynamic between interactions of all the attendees including the teacher which is resembling the organizer.
Lastly the group will be looking into netnographic data to see if other conventions centers or similar client types who resemble AKKC have worked out solutions, which would be worth looking into for inspiration and guidance on the group’s concept development.
Material Storytelling
The process
We started with picking up artifacts without talking to the other team members which made everyone’s ideas to be present in the sandbox. Then the artifacts were placed in a way to narrate the story of the project. After completing the arrangement, the sandbox story was discussed and every team member was now on the same page with equal understanding.
Learning
- Strengthen out our understanding of the core problem. Artifacts played a crucial role in understanding the mutual relationship among different stakeholders.
- Identified the main areas to which the solution should be addressed – which is to enhance the experience of the people attending virtual conferences by making them involved and engaged.
Specification to the solution
- Ensuring a link between the online and offline attendees by increasing involvement and delivering similar conference experience.
- The thought solution to be easily acquired and adapted by the technical employees of AKKC.
Core design: Quality Criteria
Prio 1. Involvement (Create interactions) / Online Interaction
The highest priority is increasing the feeling of involvement from the participants. Interviews and video observation pointed towards a lack of it, and therefore the problem is to look for solutions which increase this interaction. Specifically we’d look into increasing interaction options for two groups: (1) Organizer to participants and (2) participants to participants. Giving the online participants a higher agency through some sort of interaction format should benefit towards the goal of smoothing out the communication of physical and online participants, but also making it more clear that the online participants are a part of the meeting and not just a passive viewer.
Prio 2. Harder to interact (The human aspect) / Online Experience
The second highest priority is to increase the interaction itself from a human aspect. Meaning, making the online experience as equal to the physical experience as possible. Throughout the interview, it was made aware that the difference between communicating with a person online and physically, is too big of a difference. Reading the reactions, mimics and gestures is close to impossible for some of the participants. Meeting new people online and watching products is also within the scope of too big a difference. Therefore, an increasement of the interaction itself is needed.
Prio 3. Network
The need of the networking should be fulfilled for the virtual audience as well. From the interviews, we knew that networking is one of the attractions for attending a meeting. Since the virtual meeting is hard for the audience to (1) share the immediate experience (2) physical interaction to expand the network, the network can not easily be built. The meeting/conference should be a great opportunity for attendance to build relationships with those who share similar interests and backgrounds. Moreover, the network should further help companies build connections to those potential customers or business partners. Increasing the online networking experience for the audience may enhance their willingness to participate in the meeting.
Prio 4. Unique solution / Single system / simple technology
The solution should be unique, a singular system and simple to use and understanding. AKKC needs to have a unique take on the hybrid meeting market, and that is why the solution needs to involve new elements, which are not present in the current hybrid meeting market. From our video observation the data shows that a singular system would reduce the chance of technical problems, since having several systems in use lead to more difficulties and hereby more delays and interruptions. Lastly, using a simple technology as the fundamental for the solution helps keep the simplicity of understanding the technology at a comfortable low level for everybody involved. Thereby decreasing the risks of technical issues and a need for professional tech supporters
HMW questions & Ideation framework
After having the prioritized criteria to work on, our group developed HMW questions around the concepts. The result was obvious, when every group member had similar direction in mind – how to improve the the involvement and online experience for virtual audience in the hybrid meeting. The consensus made the group easier to hop on the same board and further developed ideas.
Every group member brainstormed 8 ideas to solve the HMW question. Through discussion, the group can narrow the ideas into 9 ideas in total. The voting result allowed 5 ideas among them to be further developed. Afterwards, the group could come up with several supplement ideas to extend the ideas.
In the last step of ideation, the group voted on three most promising ideas which are feedback system, guiding video of AKKC introduction and 360 camera implementation. We organized the supplement ideas and tried to find the complementary in between. Finally, the ideas were concrete enough and enabled the storyline to be built on them.
Coredesign resume (Case meeting 30-10-2020)
Even though we only presented one innovation track, we wanted to make sure that we’re all on the same page. So after presenting we discussed different subjects related to our core design.
We agreed upon that the solution should not be the attendees problem, therefore no download or technological requirement would be made. Still the main focus will be on improving the hybrid meetings, which AKKC haven’t been seeing the success they’re looking for. “New, fantastic and easy” is how Søren Kabbel invisions the solution going forward. AKKC are planning investing into hybrid meetings, since they expect the online meeting to be a platform that is staying. At least for a year forward. At the current moment AKKC’s physical solutions are ran by professionals, and the production presented to the customers just works. They have been told that the experience is smooth and easy, and customers don’t really realise what goes on behind the scenes. They wish to give a similar experience on the hybrid meetings front, and looking forward they wish to be frontrunners again when it comes to digital as well as physical.
“New, fantastic and easy” is how Søren Kabbel invisions the solution going forward. AKKC are planning investing into hybrid meetings, since they expect the online meeting to be a platform that is staying. At least for a year forward. At the current moment AKKC’s physical solutions are ran by professionals, and the production presented to the customers just works. They have been told that the experience is smooth and easy, and customers don’t really realise what goes on behind the scenes. They wish to give a similar experience on the hybrid meetings front, and looking forward they wish to be frontrunners again when it comes to digital as well as physical.
This meeting has led us to understand that the hybrid meetings and the solution that compliments it, is a high priority solution. AKKC customers have been used to a seamless experience with the physical space, but are now looking to add the digital part. We are going to work towards a solution, which fits these criterias while keeping the problem statement as a guideline.
Visualized Concepts
CONCEPT 1: Voting & Interactive system addition
This concept aims to address the solution to the problem when the meetings lacks interaction between the virtual and physical attendees. Virtual attendees thus feel left out and less focussed. The narrated solution thus addresses this solution by building a system which makes virtual attendees like, address opinions or vote. A big screen is set up, integrated with live stream in meeting/conference room which facilitates the interaction between both online and physical attendees.
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=–k3_iWJygs
Concept 2: Virtual reality home experience
One of the main reasons that the virtual attendees do not feel completely engaged is because they lack the experience of being at the meeting/conference physically. The concept thus aims to create a 3D modelling space. A virtual tour of AKKC’ s entrance, hallways and meeting rooms are provided to the attendees. Integrating VR glasses, the concept takes a step ahead where attendees can now observe meeting rooms, displayed product, etc. from different angles/views. Virtual attendees thus receive the exact same experience as the physical attendees.
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJDDr8c5Abc
Concept 3: 360 camera/projector
In a hybrid meeting, virtual attendees lack the feeling of being more interactive. The concept thus addresses the solution by placing 360 camera, with movable features at the physical meeting/conference room. 360 cameras placed inside the room enables the possibility to interact with room and with a combined 3D modelling of the product, it enables virtual attendees to also interact with the displayed product. Hence, virtual attendees receive enhanced virtual experience.
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyPNTkSKkIs