Erdem Soyal, vice president Middle East and Africa, Barco, discusses how technology and imagination can transform your business-as-usual
Many companies talk about the ability to wow existing and potential customers by giving them an unforgettable experience, but few actually have the technology to back that up.
According to the influential Harvard Business Review article 'The Age of Continuous Connection', a seismic shift is under way. Thanks to new technologies that enable frequent, low-friction, customised digital interactions, companies today are building much deeper ties with customers than ever before.
What if you could make an instant impression as soon as your client walks onto your premises? What if, instead of the same old ‘business as usual’, your technology and imagination could transport them into a new reality?
In the visualisation space, more organisations are exploring new possibilities through strategic "techoration" that literally elevates the creative placement of display screens into an art form.
First coined in 2008 by interior decorator Doug Wilson, techorating is the intersection of technology and interior design and most commonly refers to the application of display technologies or video walls as a canvas for engaging, informative and entertaining content in public settings. As more organisations begin evaluating new and differentiating avenues to capture attention, reposition their brands and regain traffic, innovative and creative techoration is seeing a resurgence everywhere from public spaces to office buildings.
"Techoration is about creating an experience that energises and enthuses people once they are drawn in," said Erdem Soyal, vice president Middle East and Africa. "Whether it's building excitement for guests waiting in a casino reception or offering stimulating visuals to individuals passing through Apple's corporate headquarters, digital content offers the potential to combine information and entertainment. Through creative techoration, we can do so in ways that are surprising and memorable."
Creating interactive and immersive experiences
Above all else, techoration offers a new and exciting way to invite customers and employees into digital experiences that forge connections and interaction with organisations and brands. Techorated facilities in turn can become modern brand managers that elevate inspired passers-by into customers and advocates.
As the modern world dives deeper into the potential of techoration, it also is drawing the lines of where techoration makes the most sense and can deliver the greatest impact. Despite the potential to engage and inspire via the "cool factor" of visual technology, techoration projects must still feel aesthetic and natural to truly be effective. Target audiences are more likely to pay attention to images and messages that blend into and feel part of their surroundings than a series of screens that is awkwardly placed or out of line with the tone of their environment. For a techorating project to succeed, it must carry out an organisation's creativity from vision to execution without feeling forced.
Recent years have seen businesses transform high-visibility areas – such as reception areas – as their first foray into techoration. With broader potential to discover, present and collaborate, techoration now helps such organisations refine how they create memorable first and last impressions.
"The Barco video walls have helped us impress visitors and highlight our brand," said Gordon McNair, project manager for HP. "In addition to HP graphics and specialist content, we use the walls to display high-resolution images of iconic places around the world, such as Red Square and Times Square. The walls provide the perfect high-tech backdrop."
Techoration: where to begin
While a potentially new concept for businesses seeking that extra edge, the process of evaluating how to initiate "techoration" is no different than that of any other technology decision.
When choosing what a technology overhaul might look like, start with the business case. What kinds of content do you plan to feature? Which audiences are you looking to engage? Most often, a tiled LCD or direct-view LED video wall (or series of video walls) represent the building blocks.
Next, evaluate your surroundings. Do you need a display image quality that is perfect in both dimmed and high-brightness modes (for example in reception areas with a lot of daylight)? Video artifacts typically arise on fast-moving content, so you may need a screen with no image tearing or video hiccups. Calibration helps with uniformity and image perception, while automatic alignment reduces complexity, damage potential and installation challenges.
Similarly, you may need both LCD and LED video walls and meeting room smart screens to be set to the highest light output, alongside an advanced colour sensor that continuously measures the primary colour levels of the entire wall to ensure all walls are functioning to the highest possible standard. The emergence of AV-over-IP is also driving versatile video walls, enabling any source to be activated at any time and in any place.
Aside from meeting the viewing experience requirements, predictable, reliable, and worry-free installation, operation, and maintenance are also key ingredients to secure a targeted return on investment. Ultimately, a "techoration" only is as valuable as its continued performance, and users need to feel confident in their ability to uphold their systems against changing environmental and audience needs.
