As a (proud) millennial, I’m old enough to remember times before computers were everywhere and young enough to still feel like I grew up with them. I’m also at that time in my career where I’ve been involved in too many technology-driven changes in organizations to count. From digitizing information to automating processes to moving forms to mobile platforms and more, our field of residence life is constantly pressured to modernize the way we do things through the latest technology. And should you find yourself considering or leading such a change, I want to share some insights that may help you as you get started.
Author’s Note: In an effort to not exclude any reader, a triplicate paper form is a document made with three layers of paper, on which you can write on the top layer and it will transfer information to the other two. They have been commonly used for Room Condition Reports (RCRs) so that residents could receive a copy of the initial RCR and then a copy of the final on move-out.
Language Matters
It is rare for education or student affairs programs to require computer science coursework. That’s not a knock on our field, just a reality of job expectations. That said, it truly helps when you are leading a technological change for you to understand not only the work you are aiming to accomplish, but also the tools you intend to accomplish it with. Both of those understandings start with language. Understanding what spaces, workflows, and items in an online tool or software system are called will help you to navigate help documents, train others, and ultimately speak to technology services colleagues with whom you will collaborate. For example, if the new software you are planning to use for Room Condition Reports (RCRs) was not originally built for that use, knowing what the “rooms” and “inspection processes” are actually called in that software will be important to your being able to either pitch the software or help explain what is not working when it breaks. This is similarly helpful for when the next proposed technology change comes along – you’ll be ready to know if the tool you used for the RCRs is a useful one to consider or not.
The End User Perspective
It’s not uncommon for us to be considering or constructing technological solutions with and for other end users, and sometimes we are not even part of that group. Whether due to capacity, positionality, expertise, or all the above, you may find yourself responsible for designing a tool that you will never use. That’s okay, but with that responsibility comes a duty to understand the lived experience of using the tool. This means understanding your “Ws” questions – who will use the tool, what methods will they use to access it, and where and why and when they will utilize the tool about which you are making decisions. These questions and real discussions with end user staff and students have led me to better decisions; for example, recognizing that a form would be used on the move throughout a residential community rather than stationary in an office has led me to focus on more mobile-friendly versions.
Technology Solves Some Problems & Creates Others
We like to pretend that greater (read: more) use of technology is a consistent “silver bullet,” that it will solve all problems and make everything easier. I’ve found the reality is more complex, that when we introduce more technological “solutions” in our work, we make trade-offs, and we need to be honest about those with the staff who will utilize it. Sometimes those trade-offs come with limitations of the technology itself, such as a new software that does some things better, but not everything. Other times the trade-offs come with the learning curve or access requirements for staff, such as a rather useful automation tool that requires staff to access a different website or program than what they use for every other task. A different example I’ve experienced recently is that between video recordings and storage: I started using a tool for screen recordings (to show staff how to use a new software), and then spent a week navigating low storage space because of this. This isn’t meant to scare folx, but rather encourage some healthy skepticism and critical lenses when planning for a shift in technology use.
There are of course more considerations – many based in change management theory and practice – that you can and should factor in when designing and implementing new technology, but I hope the ones above give you a good start. If I were to pull one theme, it would be time. Give yourself more time than you think you need to design, test, and implement your next technological marvel. You’ll thank yourself later than you planned, but it will be gratitude all the same.
