Everyone’s the expert: the decade of user empowerment
The changes we have seen in technology over the past 20 years alone has caused massive shifts in our ways of living. We don’t have to tell you the leaps and bounds we’ve travelled as you’re probably reading this on your smartphone, with a WiFi connection, and had this article recommended to you by AI, which matched your interests (and search history) to bring you to this page. Not only that, you no longer need to be an expert to be able to operate within the tech space — you can create a lot of it yourself. With the introduction of AI into so many products we use every day, it takes the hard work out of traditionally complex technology, and has changed entire industries.
We’ve been in business for over 15 years now, and we’ve found a major shift happening in our industry over this time. A website used to be something you needed to engage a professional developer (or a savvy family member) to create and maintain for you. We hosted products on clunky servers that filled entire warehouses — and none of our websites were mobile-friendly — as phones were not yet the mini computers they are today! Looking back, we created a lot of websites (and have visited many) that would make you shudder — with jarring graphics and tacky trimmings. What was all the rage in 2008, is a horrific site today. The way technology has changed throughout the past decade alone has been incredible — from changes to coding languages, the way we consume digital media, and what we do online is vastly different — you can check out some interesting statistics here.
The amount of content online has also changed, increasing dramatically. And from this, the skill level and training required to create these websites and advertising campaigns has dropped. As the popularity of the internet has grown, the giants of the industry have made it a more accessible place for all voices to be heard. Now, you can build your own website — without spending a cent — with platforms like WordPress, Wix and SquareSpace, and they often don’t look too bad. You no longer need to hire a developer, buy your own server, or hire an expensive SEO firm to have a website that works and reaches your clients — you can bootstrap it all yourself. We’ve seen this in our work, we used to average two websites a week — from quote acceptance to launch, and now we’re lucky to do one every six weeks. Simple websites that just direct customers to your contact information don’t need to be hard to create anymore.
This breakdown in the skill and expertise required to produce these mediums means that we are (slowly) seeing the power dynamic shift from the IT department to the rest of an organisation. In the past, information about computing — whether that’s hardware or software — was always held close to the chest of the gatekeepers who control it. This led to a fear culture being built around the world of IT, and people zoning out of conversations surrounding it, as they’ve been told it’s too difficult for them to understand — like how some feel about algebra. Now, information is super accessible, and we can fact check and hold people accountable for what they recommend as the best. This is one of the best things we’ve seen in the industry, as IT knowledge becomes something that is better understood in how it can help an organisation — not just a secret language, that only a select few can speak.
As everything shifts in our industry, we’ve got to start listening to our customers and educating them on the complex and in-depth tools that we use in our work — and how it will help make your life easier. We’ve had to pivot (most overused word of 2020) our services, so we come from a place where we are listening to our customers’ needs, and creating something that suits them. We’ve left the old way of saying ‘your system must do x, y and z’, and have begun asking ‘how can we free up time in your day?’
AI is no longer something to be feared — it’s here and present within our daily lives. From Siri and Alexa, to behaviour-predicting algorithms on Amazon and Netflix to recommend products and programs that are just right for you. AI helps us fly planes, manage online support desks, conduct surveillance, and drive the tractors on our farms. This is a tool we can embrace, to help make your life easier, and matches our mindset when we tackle your complex workplace workflow problems.
We have taken a step back from positioning ourselves as the gatekeepers within the technology space and becoming our clients’ sherpas as they continue their journey to becoming more efficient and refining their workflows — better serving their own clientele. This is a privilege that we are lucky to have, something we strive for when we curate our client relationships and isn’t something we take for granted.
