Perseverance in the Workplace

When I was of middle school age, my family summer vacation consisted of a day at a water park.  My brother and I loved this idea!  We went on every ride and raft possible, except for one.  From the ground, this one slide looked amazing and everyone who went on it was screaming their hearts out on the descent.  My brother and I looked at each other and decided we wanted to go down that slide.  As we climbed the steps we delighted in the screams we heard from the passengers riding down the 60-degree angle slide.  Being the big sister, I was to be the first to go on the slide.  I put the plastic surf-boggan under me and was waiting for the ride operator to ask me if I was prepared.  He did not and suddenly the platform underneath me tilted to start my descent down the slide.  Only I didn’t go, my arms shot out to my sides to hold me back.  Looking down that slide and realizing it was only as wide as I was scared the hell out of me.  All of a sudden thoughts of plummeting off the side of the slide filled my mind.  The platform beneath me went horizontal again and the ride operator asked me what was wrong.  “You didn’t ask me if I was ready!” I screamed.  He asked if I was ready now and I said no.  I took my surf-boggan and put it back on the pile and walked to the top of the long staircase.  I asked my brother if he still wanted to go down the ride and that I would meet him at the bottom.  My 2 ½ year younger brother said no, he would walk down with me.  I don’t believe he was scared of the ride as I suddenly became, this was his moment to be the big brother that he never could be for me.  By the time we walked down the steps we were ready to go back to another ride we previously enjoyed.

Every day in the workplace we have “fight or flight” moments, most are not to the extreme of my story above.  Yet, we have decisions to make regarding co-workers, customers, manufacturers, etc. that affect us in how we deal with them.  These moments can also happen within the confines of a meeting; you have the ability to bring your ideas forward or you sit back and allow others to lead and present their ideas, knowing that your ideas are just as good or better.

If we allow the flight moments to take over, then we start to offer sub-par customer service.  We start to allow quotes to take longer than they should; we lollygag in returning phone calls to customers or manufacturers.  We start to get lazy.  Laziness spreads like wildfire and once one co-worker sees another exhibiting this, they start to do it as well.  Suddenly the moral of the workplace and level of service plummet.

Fight moments allow us to shine and provide top-notch customer service.  We strive to provide customers with timely quotes, timely order status, and timely information. This dedication to be the best we can be for ourselves and others is perseverance.  When the laziness threatens like a storm on the horizon, persevere through it and continue to challenge others as well as yourself (not to a dual or anything, keep that kind of challenge on the playground). 

Persevering through the good times and the bad times will help to make you a well-rounded employee who is willing and able to deal with anything. 

How layout and design affect a website

I am a person interested in websites. Having technology at my fingertips all hours of the day practically requires me to view websites for information multiple times throughout the day.  While I may not think a business is inferior if they don’t have a website, I instantly like a business if they do have a website, even if it is a basic page that gives contact information and a little history about the company.

I was curious about A/V industry websites and whether they conveyed a message that says, “Look at me!  Just because I’m nerdy doesn’t make me unfriendly”!  So I focused my energy on two websites to see if they pass the worthiness test.

The first company I looked at was Inavate (www.inavateonthenet.net).  Inavate is a professional audiovisual integrator located in the UK that provides many professional A/V technology solutions.

The first two things I noticed when the page loaded was the company name largely displayed at the top left corner of the page and the use of color.  There is a nice variation of white, black, pink, blue, red, yellow, etc. against a white backdrop.  Boxes containing various information are duplicated throughout the page.  Some of the images are actively moving, which allows your eye to wander to them to see what the hubbub is.  The color scheme and duplication of boxes are consistent throughout the website, which makes for an easy read if you are bouncing around the site.

The web pages are balanced nicely between text and images, with neither making you feel overloaded.  The typography is appropriate for each topic discussed.  There are no 50-point fonts that eat up excess space, nor do you need to get your bifocals out to gather information.

Overall, the website is extremely easy to navigate.  The tabs located towards the top of the pages are helpful navigational tools to lead you down the path you wish to explore.  The information in each tab is organized appropriately. When you visit Inavate’s website, you instantly get the connection that this is a technology company that can provide you with many professional solutions.  This website gets a thumbs up from me for ease of navigation and effective use of text and images.

The second company I looked at was Omega Audio Video (http://omegaaudio.net).  Omega Audio Video is a home theater integrator located in London, Ontario that provides many solutions for the home theatre enthusiast.   They also dabble in the commercial A/V realm, check out their “Our Services” tab.

Upon entering their website, your eyes get drawn to their name in the upper left-hand corner as it is large, black text against white. Then your eyes get drawn to the rotating pictures in the center of the page.  The homepage has a clean feel to it with a white background combined with black and blue text.  The rotating pictures utilize muted, neutral colors, which work very well with the background and text.  Scrolling to the bottom of the homepage allows you to share Omega Audio Video’s website with others in various forms (Twitter, Digg, etc.).  To the right of this information are their phone number and email address (I personally like when you do not have to search for contact information).

The web pages are balanced with the use of text and images.  The typography is appropriate on each page and doesn’t differ depending upon the topic of the page.  While there is more text than images used, the website as a whole still feels balanced.  This balance comes from appropriate image use that doesn’t overwhelm the viewer.

Visiting Omega Audio Video’s website gives you the instant connection that they are a technology company that can provide you with the A/V solution that you need.  The website gets a thumbs up from me for ease of navigation and appropriate use of information.

In conclusion, I was impressed with both Inavate’s and Omega Audio Video’s website as while they were both different, they both were easy to navigate and provided me with the information I was seeking.  Both websites show a professional company that seems fully capable of assessing and providing you a fantastic A/V solution.