OBSERVATION: Mobile / smart phones pervade every aspect of Hong Kong’s society and almost always find themselves in corporate boardrooms, resulting in constant disruptions and often compromising confidentiality.
SOLUTION: Provide secure self-charging “Phone Lockers” at the entrance of meeting rooms and other areas hosting sensitive discussions — improve meeting productivity and participant focus, minimize meeting times, and maximize confidentiality.
How many business meetings have we attended, where half of the those in attendance are completely distracted from the discussions at hand as they check email, sheepishly swipe through social media accounts beneath the table — or worse yet, secretly record sensitive meeting discussions unbeknownst to the other participants? There are often occasions when younger staff members are compelled to chat about their experience in real time through social media; sometimes inadvertently tipping off competitors as to a company’s confidential affairs or strategies. Then there is of course, the cardinal sin of a distracting phone ringtone blaring at full volume, destroying a presentation in progress.
What if … personal devices were to be banned from the boardroom all together? Some clever designers have proposed “Phone Lockers” at corporate office boardrooms, which help solve these problems. If wireless power chargers were to also be installed within each locker, this might provide an additional incentive for meeting participants to put their phone on ice, minimize the length of meetings, and exit the meeting with a fully charged device as an extra bonus.
What about Hong Kong’s schools? This same system of Phone Lockers could be rolled out throughout Hong Kong’s school system to provide classrooms that are distraction-free to maximize students’ learning opportunities — not to mention keeping everyone honest when exam time rolls around!
Could such a culture of temporarily parting from one’s phone be extended to some of the city’s more exclusive fine dining outlets and private clubs, where a quiet ambiance is desired? What if restaurants actually encouraged a couple to have a discussion over dinner, instead of the frequent sight of two zombies enamored with their own handheld device sharing a common table? How long will people continue photographing their desserts and instantly uploading images to social media for constant validation?