EUREKA CELTIC MERCO
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | SEMCON SWEDEN AB - Semcon Caran AB, Göteborg |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 500 000 |
| Project duration | March 2014 - January 2017 |
| Status | Completed |
| Venture | Eureka cluster co-funding |
Purpose and goal
We propose an agnostic webbased remote meeting client called MEROEX (in its current incarnation), with features specifically targeted to business meetings such as collaborative agenda setting, audio recording with tagging, shared files and an asymmetric meeting hierarchy with separate interfaces (moderator/participant). The final interface has gone through multiple iterations of test and refinement, with solutions based in (human) communications theories while utilizing "new" web technologies such as WebRTC. See also the attachment Summary Semcon.
Expected results and effects
After a bottom-up process, where Ericsson´s and Semcon´s local and remote meeting culture was studied, a framework of how to improve remote meetings was shaped. We learned what type of meetings occured most often, and pain points of current meetings and assistive technologies. What blocks and enables successful meetings? One finding is the value of "Informality enablers", and the downside of using dedicated hardware (that locks a solution to e.g. specific room). Hence the browser based solution. MEROEX is now in Semcon´s innovation pipeline. See also the attachment Summary Semcon.
Planned approach and implementation
After an initial literature and observational study, an agile approach was employed with multiple iterations on prototyping, use testing and literature studies. The choice for a web-based meeting client came half-way through the project as it was the most promising among the pathways identified. It followed a series of between-site environmental interventions that aimed to increase informality between offices, e.g. a digital "window" to the other site´s lunch room. See also the attachment Summary Semcon.