There is some combination of utility, usability, learning curve, and right-time/right-place that has to come together when we introduce new technology. The reality of my friend’s smart board situation is a problem we tackle every day at Myplanet: How do we think about and account for all the ways a new, tech-based solution will impact its users?
For any given project, there are countless potential solutions. And before creating the solution — before deciding on what that solution is, even — it’s important to assess not only the actual needs of your users, but also the ways a potential solution will impact them.
When we start working on a new project, the first question we ask is what problem needs to be solved? That’s what good design and development teams do. It might sound obvious or even redundant if you’re unfamiliar with design thinking principles, but it’s an essential step in the process. The reality is folks are quick to jump to a solution, often before establishing what the actual issue is.
But when we skip that first step, all we end up doing is putting a bandaid on a broken leg. You can fix a lot of symptoms without ever solving a problem if you don’t take that step back and dig deeply into what’s causing the issue(s) in the first place. It can be especially tricky to overcome this tendency when there’s a specific technology people want to employ (because it’s new and exciting and they want to be leading-edge). But only once we’ve established what the problem is can we begin looking at possible solutions.
For people who are genuinely motivated to improve everyday experiences, the questions that open up at this stage are some of the most important for the whole project: What are the restrictions around possible solutions? Who will be impacted, both directly and indirectly, by changing the current system or introducing a new one? In what ways? How can we mitigate the upheaval? And how can we make adopting the solution as seamless and easy as possible?
It’s when we ask these questions that we start to think critically about what we’re developing and designing. Take the smart board example: it’s about more than just knowing teachers and students will both interact with it. How will students interact with it? What about students with special needs, how will they be impacted by changing the teaching methods? What environmental challenges might be an issue, such as how interacting with the smart board will be impacted when teachers want to rearrange desks for group work? And how can teachers solve — or at least work around — technical problems when they occur? A few tweaks to how the smart board was introduced to the classroom and it’s mandated uses could make all the difference for my friend.
We can’t account for every edge case, but thinking things through and actually connecting with users where they are — before, during, and if we’re lucky, after — the development of the product, can help us anticipate some of the most common potential issues and resolve them before they become permanent barriers to success.
We work with large companies, designing and building software solutions for some of their toughest workplace problems. The work we do gets rolled out to tens and sometimes hundreds of thousands of people. It can look nicer, or go faster, or meet some other metric that sounds good, but if it doesn’t meaningfully improve how the work gets done, then in the end we missed the mark. And if we roll something out that makes it actively harder to get work done? That’s a worst-nightmare-of-all-time scenario, as far as we’re concerned.
Being user-centred requires us to be interested in uncovering the truths beneath the surface. It takes a bit more time, but in the end we create solutions for people that actually solve their problems, not just provide them with a new set of headaches. Maybe the smart board is the right solution for my friend, but the way it was implemented sure wasn’t and that’s an important part of the equation.
Last week we wrote about a “Smart Things Canvas” we created to help ourselves think through some of the new technology being implemented in the artificial intelligence and machine learning space, breaking down the big idea of AI into smaller, actual-use components on individual projects. It’s one way among many we help ourselves think holistically about the solutions we create.
But it’s not just the sexy new technologies we need to be careful with; any technology change can have a big impact when it requires a shift in behaviour or understanding. Smart boards are brilliant advances in interactive technology that have seen huge success in business contexts all over the world, but put them to use where they aren’t the right solution and they quickly become a dumb idea.
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We specialize in bringing technology solutions to organizations in the right way. Talk to us today about how we can make smarter interfaces work for your workplace.
Educators are always seeking opportunities to elevate the learning experience and help every student succeed. An interactive smart board such as Samsung Interactive Display is an effective classroom technology that can do just that.
Smart boards are especially well suited for hybrid and blended learning environments, which has increased the creation and adoption of alternative learning structures. Now, educators can collaborate with students in a more engaging way, even if they’re working remotely.
When it comes to idea generation and collaboration in the classroom, conventional dry-erase boards are longtime staples. They’re easy to use but also clunky and inefficient at capturing information. As student workflows become increasingly digital, they require more effective collaboration tools that allow them to quickly find, mark up and share whatever they need.
Interactive whiteboards digitize the process, taking the concept of the conventional dry-erase board or paper flip chart and upgrading it with modern educational tools. The interactive display allows students to write out their ideas, draw sketches and make calculations on a large visual platform that all their classmates can see.
Using a smart board, teachers and students can write intuitively — with their finger, a stylus, or another input device — and then save and share that content without switching devices. You can even share internet or server-based content. That includes audio and video support, allowing teachers and students to create dynamic presentations.
With the Samsung Interactive Display, you also get the following tech capabilities:
Supported by these core functions, teachers can easily integrate the interactive display into their classroom, lesson plans and student workflows.
In the classroom, interactive smart boards such as Samsung Interactive Display are primarily used for group collaboration and sharing educational materials. They help everyone feel connected and engaged, inclusive of hybrid or blended learning environments. Best of all, the technology is intuitive, so most students can use it with little or no training.
All of the work done on an interactive whiteboard can be instantly saved and stored. Teachers can quickly retrieve files by scrolling or searching — then, share them through the display via email, cloud drive and USB. They can also print physical copies.
The 65- and 75-inch Samsung models support sharing up to nine screens simultaneously for maximum real-time productivity, ensuring every student is included and engaged. Students and teachers can also connect their devices to the smart board by HDMI, USB-C, stereo minijack, and screen mirroring from mobile devices. Users can also apply digital pens and highlighters of various colors and thicknesses.
The Note app on Samsung Interactive Display includes 10 built-in tools for brainstorming and note-taking — annotate a photo, post a sticky note, create a mind map or grid, take measurements and more. Teachers can easily switch between the Note app and other whiteboard content.
See how educators can create an inclusive learning environment with the right technology. Download Now
There are thousands of options and activities for teachers and students looking to get the most out of interactive whiteboards in an online learning setting. At its most basic, an interactive smart board in the classroom provides a way to display and interact with educational tools and media to the benefit of students in the room or online.
Teachers can use Samsung boards to post and share diverse types of media — pictures, charts, maps, articles, websites, graphs, audio and video — to almost any size classroom. The traffic goes both ways, too, as students can use the board for collaborative brainstorming and problem-solving, as well as educational games.
While some of these activities and resources are subscription-based, there are also plenty of free interactive whiteboard resources that are grade-specific and cover core subjects such as math, history, writing, reading and science.
While the interactive display can be used without any accessories, some, such as touch pens, can ease and enhance operation. Other optional add-ons include erasers, cameras and risers, which allow shorter students to reach the board.
With smart boards on wheels, teachers can also move the display to individual students throughout the room or share it between multiple classrooms. To upgrade capabilities more significantly, look to key technology partners that connect seamlessly to interactive display technology:
Interactive whiteboards enable a wide range of activities teachers can use to create more engaging lessons that get kids excited about learning. Samsung Interactive Display represents the next step in education technology, supporting collaboration and learning for all students.
Learn more about why interactive learning matters and how prioritizing it engages students and improves outcomes in this free guide. Discover a full range of Samsung Interactive Displays designed for intuitive and exciting collaboration.