Things should be simple.  Learning curves need to be shallower.  However, systems need to be more robust at the same time.  When it comes to an arena like commercial audio/visual integration, the more automated and intuitive your platform can be, the better your space will perform.  Blending these two necessities isn’t always simple, in fact it can be downright difficult; but it doesn’t need to be.  The ease of usability for your platform comes down to the integrator you choose.

Control systems, and specifically, control programming are the backbone of any audio/visual integrated room.  Users and participants alike can switch between content on a PC, projector or interactive whiteboard.  They can also mute and unmute microphones, pan, tilt, and zoom cameras for video conferencing.  There are a variety of other actions that can be taken, and it used to require an array of different remotes and controls to execute these primary activities. Now everything can be neatly organized in an intuitive, custom designed control system.

Some features of Creston’s user friendly interface include:

• Presentation, audio conference, and video conference modes that automatically revert to preset lighting, shade, and display controls.
• Taskbar with commonly used functions, such as lighting and volume control, available at all times.
• Automatic shutdown either at a specific time each evening, or through an occupancy sensor that will detect a certain period of inactivity.
• Customized to room specifications by adding or removing features and can be personalized to include company logos.
• Detailed user manual with button-by-button descriptions and screenshots of each system task.
• Control system UI development.

It is important that in the early stages of integration you request mock-ups, screenshots, and button-by-button descriptions of each function.  When the end-users have an opportunity to experience their system, they are able to request changes before the system is actually deployed.

All of these features make a room simple to use for any participant, which allows for full leverage of the integration.  However, there is additional expertise that can make the user interface even simpler.  Link Integration Group, a Crestron Commercial Elite Dealer based in Baton Rouge has expertly trained programmers with a deep knowledge of control system platforms and they design an interface based on each organization’s unique needs.  Making sophisticated systems simple to use is what they do.