Indesign, like many other companies, has had to adapt in several ways during the coronavirus pandemic. We love having visitors at Indesign, but are currently unable to host guests. We knew early on at the start of the pandemic that it would be important to find a way to host virtually and continue giving tours of our building. We explored some options where tour-takers could click through high-resolution 3D pictures, but this option lacked interaction with Indesigners, which is our favorite part of tours. So we did what engineers do and got creative!
Recreating Facility Tours
We wanted to recreate our normal tour experience as closely as possible, which meant that we needed to be able to walk our guests virtually through our hallways, conference rooms, breakroom, and anywhere else they might want to visit. We also wanted visitors to be able to converse with our engineers in their labs and ask any questions about the things most important to them. So we rounded up a GoPro camera, high-quality microphone, Windows tablet, and a cart to make video conferencing mobile. Our mechanical engineers and technicians 3D printed custom stands and holders for each component.
Live Video Conferences
With our new setup, we are able to use normal conferencing software (like Webex) to remotely give a live virtual tour to guests from all over the world. The wide-angle lens of the GoPro gives visitors a view similar to what they would see if they were walking the Indesign hallways themselves. The GoPro also provides excellent image stabilization, which some Indesigners prone to motion sickness stressed the importance of when we were putting together the virtual tour equipment. The cart allows us to enter the labs and see engineers and technicians in their natural habitat. With a screen on the cart facing the engineers, our virtual visitors can have a face-to-face conversation with them and ask questions about what the engineers/technicians are showing them.
Indesign IT Team Saving the Day
We were initially concerned about WiFi connection dropouts as the tour cart moved around the building, but Indesign’s IT team has done an outstanding job upgrading our WiFi access points over the years to give us excellent full-building coverage that doesn’t skip a beat when handing off the connection from one access point to another. Though the live virtual tours cannot match the experience of visiting in person, we’re thrilled that we still have a way to allow clients into the building to see our top-notch facilities and capabilities.
Indesign at a Glance
Indesign, LLC is a multi-discipline engineering design firm that provides full turnkey electronic product development to allow clients to get their new product ideas into the market quickly. Indesign offers complete product development capabilities, starting with a product concept and finishing with a ready-to-manufacture design. Indesign has an ISO certified product development process and a proven track record for on-time, on-budget, high-quality product realization. If you’re interested in learning more and taking a tour with us, please contact us at (317) 377-5450 today!