I have recently taken a few online french lessons with Telefrench where a French tutor (in Paris) teaches you one on one by webcam or headset. I was a little dubious at first, but with a couple of free trial lessons I figured I had nothing to lose. It turns out it was great and I have signed up by more. He can show me images through Windows Messenger, talk and write vocabulary and grammar. Maybe this is something that we should be taking advantage of more in the design industry.
For Presenting Design Visuals
What a great way to present visuals to a client from a distance. Currently if you are working long distance in terms of print design it will be a case of send a PDF, wait until the client has seen it, then talk it/or email it through. A webcam and messenger program brings back he element of being able to talk though designs as you present. An opportunity to explain why you have done something and how it can work for the client, before giving them chance to read their own ideas into the design.
For Design Interviews
What about design interview too. How much time and travelling could a webcam interview cut down on? Within 5 minutes talking through a few pieces of work online both parties would know if it was worth going forward to an onsite design interview. Normally you would send through a few pieces of work or point a potential employer to your website, but this gives no indication of personalities, something equally important in a work environment.
A design studio which has a webcam pointed at its studio can be found at http://www.tinstar.co.uk Hmmm… I don’t think I would like that too much!
Have you ever used a webcam to present your design work or for a design interview? What are your thoughts, could it work?
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6 Comments
I’m not sure I like the “video conferencing” idea too much. Call me old-fashioned, but I like to see the person I’m talking to, shake their hand, look them straight in the eye, touch the sketch/mockup, etc…. Of course, that’s not always possible. But choppy, grainy, tiny video just doesn’t sound appealing to me.
That being said, I use iChat with other designers and production artists right in my own office. Why? Because when I do get up and meet them face to face, it inevitably ends up getting side-tracked and I lose 20 minutes of time yapping or overthinking a project.
I think there’s something to be said for using an instant messenger client (you can still show/transfer files) in the workplace, but I prefer the face to face whenever possible.
That’s an interesting idea! It would work great in this global marketplace. I remember David (Airey, there are so many of those Davids around!) said that he’s developed relationships with clients in the US because of his excellent blog. This idea would work great for him and those in similar situations because it’s not just about two hours in traffic, it would be a long, expensive plane ride!
I’m sure we’ll see video conferencing more and more. I think people are starting to telecommute more often, too, which will increase the use of inventions like the webcam.
Hi James, Face to face is definitely a good option if your not to far away, but I just thought the idea of using a webcam could open up more opportunities. You could work for someone the opposite side of the country/or the world for that matter which otherwise would be far more difficult. I was actually amazed in the French lessons I had how easy it was to interact, especially the way he was displaying images in the MSN window.
Hi Lauren, I agree it could really open up working with people overseas, but I can also really see the possibilities for first job interviews too. I know I have been for interviews and after 2 minutes thought – I don’t want this job – get me out of here.
I’ve used web-cam meetings before for presenting to clients, and while on the surface it works well, it’s really difficult for me to read the client and switch up the presentation if I have to. The subtle nuances of body language and tone seem to get lost, much like we lose the abilty to sense the inflection or sarcasm in voice when we write an email.
While it seems to work well for some clients, others have too much trouble with the technology yet to make it worth it. I’d have to say I’m still in the same boat as James, that a handshake and eye-contact are still the best parts of a well-conducted meeting.
Yes, Tara, I know what you mean about those types of interviews! It would be good for both sides because they wouldn’t waste too much valuable time (and it would be easier to fake interruptions if necessary
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Tara,
I’ve not used video conferencing yet, but it’d be worth trying, for sure. Joe makes a good point about not being able to read the client’s body language etc. but that’d all depend on the quality of your equipment. For instance, I wouldn’t want to conduct a video conference using your bog standard £20 web cam (goes without saying really).
Lauren,
Thanks for the compliment! I’ve been using Skype quite often to talk to overseas clients. When the other end doesn’t have Skype, I find the cost of calls very reasonable anyway.
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