Evaluation and Design

If we were to re-design blogger kind of thing, we need to consider the following aspects, as mentioned in the mind map.

Besides these, there can be numberous other users, and uses of this application। Technology keeps changing, and so we humans also keep adapting accordingly। So for today's technology, focus should not be on covering all substances in our product, but to make it so adaptable, and upgradable, that it can be used with anything, and everything। Like, if we could link it with some of the existing applications, like facebook, myspace or orkut, then it will become more wide in reach, and more accaptable.

As an example for the same, the mind-map is developed in an application from the site "http://bubbl.us/" which has adapted itself according to the changing technology. The output of this application can be embedded and used with any other site. So in a way, this application has become more accaptable, and adaptable.

Our design should also follow this approach, to have more adaptable designs.

A real Life Video Conference.

Fig. A real life video Conference (Mr Jose, and other fellow members)

Here is an analysis of the real experience about the Video Conference that happened in this session, vs the theories read and put on blog after last session.

Conducting a real life video conference is totally a different experience from that reading in theories, or planning sitting behind table. When doing the real stuff, we don't remember any theory. There are no designs, or approaches in mind, but just one clear aim, to make them understand what we mean.

When we were there, trying to put system in proper place, all things were like.....uncertainity about what is going to happen. "Oh god, my slides are not visible to them, what to do now? Can we put it on the front screen, can we focus camera on the Laptop"...and all sorts of combination keeps going.

Then some intelligent guy helps us putting the slides on screen. Thank God ( & thanks to Anil). Now we can sit and think about proceeding for the conference. What was our theory....oh yes, Soft System Methodology.
OK, i have the notes ready, about the CATWOE...

So..Clients...The Trainers and Trainees(as per previous blog). That's us, and the people on the other side. But here, even the operator helping us this transmission, and the audience guiding and watching us, become the part of this conference. And hence, were the clients of this Conference.

Then it occurred like, let's check if they can hear our voice, or not. "Hello Simon....can u hear me."
"Yes..i am getting you. Are you getting me?"
Yes, voice can be transferred now. And video too. Lets get started with talks; we'll see the Theory later.
And when we started talking, one point lead to another, one topic bought another. Introduction, then contact details, then schedule...everything kept flowing. There was no Soft System Methodology anywhere in the talks.

Actors were all the members, taking part in the conference, not only the trainer. Because every one was teaching something, and everyone was learning from others.

Owner, in the notebook, we mentioned as Parent Company. But here, everyone owns the video conference because activity of each member affects the conference. When the designer allows everyone to make changes in systems, everyone becomes the owner. If parent company proposes some schedule, but child company do not agrees, how can parent company alone be the owner of this training system? All users, having permission to make changes, becomes the owner.

Environment, was it only the seminar hall, or the meeting room in both companies?....NO. One team member was not available that day, might be due to bad weather. So bad weather in this country affected the conference going in some other country. The length of Mic wire also had an impact on the ease of people in conference. So Environment should include the climate, the physical things, and even the aroma of the company.

Transformation: changes that are affected by this system. The training do has a huge transformation on the skills, but the thing that we all were trying to achieve was, to make ourselves clearly understood to the other person. Be it about any technology that training is about, or the culture, or even the time-difference between two locations. The main aim was, to bring them on a common ground, to make them understand, what we have in mind.

World View, or, how the system is perceived in a particular root definition. It's this whole blog, with our views about the Video Conference. And also the comments put on this post, which gives views of other people about the conference.

Soft Systems Methodology for Video Conferencing

As an Employee of Company Q, we need to provide training to employees of company U.
For the same, we need tp considering the SSM(Soft Systems Methodology)(checkland & Poulter, 2006). Need to use the technique called CATWOE:

Description :
The training to be given, should include the following things involved:
1) Inducation program about the company.
2) Methods for using existing Systems.
3) Cultural/ Best Practices Training.
4) Training Related to Work / Technology.

CATWOE:
T: Transformation : The people should work with new people, new company, new rules, technology, and culture. So there is a need to smooth transition, so that they dont feel too much uncomfortable.

C: Clients: Trainers, & Trainees.

A: Actor : Trainer.

W: Worldview: The best possible method for this training would be through Video Conferencing.
Because it provides
1) face-to-face communication, which is very much effectice than on phone.
2) World wide scope,
3) Time & Cost effecient.

O: Owners : Parent Company.

E: Envirnment: Some seminar hall, or meeting room in both companies.

Activities for a meaningful training.
1) Intractive - people should take part in it.
2) Should inculde interesting Presentations, Videos, and if possible, games.
3) Information about the products, equipments, technologies, tools, if provided by parent company & ways to use them.
4) Belbin Questionair, & understanding & alloting roles to employees.

Session 6 Workshop

Background
Your group produced a narrative about how to organise a video conference between two companies. You were encouraged to use ideas about co-ordination (session 5 lecture). Now you can grasp some concepts for co-ordination design.

Part A
Our group played the company Q role, we have discussed about how will we better manage emotions and language, and how will we better communicate.

Emotion: We shall stay calm, and we shall be patient, for the reason that the people from company U might have a bad mood. And assure them about job in company.

Language: Use some common language like English, and we should include persons who have UK ascent, as translators. Another point is that everything should be in written form, like slides, so that people can read it, while someone speak.

Communication: To use video conference for a face to face talk.
To have a talk about culture, supporting things, along with business, to provide them a comfort level.

Part B

Explain:

Common Ground - Refers to common things/knowledge/language as experience between people communicating.

Affordance - Any object, along with its surroundings/content. Eg. Tools, along with their use.

Space - Complete scope, extension, barriers. eg. Using background screen for discussion or using different angles or views in conference, or different place/room/world.

Deictic - Point out. To 'point to' or 'refer to' something.

Part C

Instructions:

1> Get information about resources at the other end.
2> Tell our requirements to them, vice versa.
3> Plan about the meeting venue, time, duration.
4> Have a common plan/flow of conference/schedule, mention specific time slots for each activity.
5> Fix the agenda.
6> Check the equipments, try connection.
7> Action

At last
In session 6, we learnt about how to better manage emotions and language, and how can we better communicate with others. Video conference is a good way to communicate with people far away, because we can talk them face to face. Every tiny change on their face can we notice well, so we know well how they feel, and then, we can better decide in which way to mention the things we want to discuss. Time managing is important too, before we set up an real video conference, we should consider about what kind of things should be done before. Also, we realized that utlizing well the environment sometimes can give us a big help in communicating with others.