Video Conferencing Should Not Be Hard to Use

With the blizzard of webinars and online meeting tools for video conferencing people have been thrown into since the beginning of 2020, folks have repeatedly found themselves bouncing around between one version and another. And that constant fluctuation of switching tools has also resulted in a lot of tech confusion as well as frustration with video conferencing in general. Going into 2021, one of the biggest gripes in the office especially with remote work is having to sit through difficult online meetings repeatedly every day.

Too Much Choice Creates Confusion

A lot of the problem has to do with the fact that every tool does something different, and the operating tools are designed differently as well. Some have the controls visible as icons and operate through an Internet browser, and others require the user to download a client software program to connect and interact. Still, others tend to be a hybrid version with even more variations. The lack of standardization ends up creating confusion, which leads to the now well-known need to give 10 minutes before any meeting to let people solve their technology issues before getting started.

Good Meeting Tools are Simple to Use

Ideally, web conferencing should not be a hard tool to use. It should meet a couple of basic, easy-to-use functions to work for anyone at any level:

  • First, initiating the tool should be a simple trigger or button control instead of having to go through a convoluted process to start the connection.
  • Second, the web meeting tool should be integrated with the Internet browser automatically so that it works seamlessly with what people already know for how to connect online.
  • Third, downloading independent client software programs should be avoided. They just create more bloat and are duplicative of what can be done in a browser.
  • Finally, the operating tools in the meeting tool should be clear, distinct, and intuitive. Anything complicated is just going to cause a loss of valuable meeting time trying to help people understanding how to use the functions buried in menus or operational codes.

When web conference and video conferencing tools are fluid and seamless with the communication systems people already use, they become powerful. Time doesn’t get wasted trying to navigate the startup of a tool every time there is a meeting about to occur, and people are able to leverage online collaboration effectively versus dread it. Tool fluidity boosts productivity tremendously among teams, so it should always be the top goal when implementing any kind of video conferencing, especially for distance work.