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Meetmory

Possible Names: Meet.log, Elephant.hub, The Turk Secretary, Meet.recorder, Keep Your Word (KYW!).

This is an application to easily record, transcript and organize the workflow of a meeting. The idea here is to improve the efficiency of meetings by storing what was said, allowing all to access and pinpointing the commitments and responsibilities of all. Create a common memory for the participants, as a summary of important decisions and tasks in a very fast and natural platform. It can be used as group tool, or just as personal meeting organizer.

The mechanism is:

1. Setup the meeting
Before or after, set what, who, where and when. The e-mail of participants, topics, alerts, and so on;

2. Record the meeting audio
Use your device’s mic, or external wi-fi 360 mic, or using all the applications at the same time, that also uses the volumes to predict who’s talking at that moment;

3. Highlight what’s important
Use the ‘highlight’ button (hit or long press) to create fast access marks at important points;

4. The audio is automatically transcripted
The audio is in real time streamed for a transcription from audio to text with a service like Google Voice, some keywords are tagged by the system, like the names, “task”, “important”, etc….;

5. Edit the text and transform it in ‘objects’
In a very light text platform, the users can simultaneously select words or sentences and put some signs as @ or # to transform it into dynamic text, creating the object list of this meeting, such as tasks and agreements;

6. Send a report
When the meeting ends, an automatic report is sent to the participants, all the tasks synched with the selected personal agenda and a link with the attachments included;

7. Keep your word!
All your meetings are saved and protected on the server, as the important documents they are. Also, according to the automation setup on the meeting (or meeting group), the transcriptions can be stored on the website or synched on Dropbox, Google Driver, or even sent by e-mail. The same can be applied to all the used files used on meeting.

A sketch interface was created to illustrate the functionalities, simulate how the data can be handled.

The next steps are:
1. Create a smooth interface (humanize it, put photos, etc…);
2. Optimize the data organization and audio waveform markers;
3. Research about voice transcription possible services.

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meety mockups

pre-meeting screen

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Future of Workplace Research Example

Ricoh a famous multinational Japanese electronics company researches for what are the trends and needs of a future “office”.

They have a simple video explaining their ideas for their services.

http://www.ricoh.com/about/company/technology/rd/office.html

Future Trends
We have projected six trends in office form and workstyle based on transitions in the social climate as the premise for our vision of the future.

First, (1) we expect that the focus will be on core operations. Here, we define the operations the organization or the individual execute by profession as core operations. These differ depending on the organization or individual. Outsourcing non-core operations to whoever makes them into their own core operations, allows individual client organizations to concentrate on their own core operations. In order to focus on core operations, (2) internal and external networks will be strengthened. IT has enabled people to work anywhere regardless of locale. However, because different systems are used among organizations, under present circumstances, effective information transfer may be lacking. Following transitions in the world economy, (3) greater emphasis on operations in emerging markets can be predicted. If ways of working are not to be affected by place or device, or by networked environments, there will be a need to (4) respond to the confluence of business and personal. For example, to use devices purchased by the individual for business, or to use devices purchased by the company for personal use. Although the devices are the same, payments will be based on segmenting accounting between personal and business use. As the global way of working develops, consciousness of the global environment as global citizens also becomes high and the pursuit to (5) preserve the environment will further develop. Beyond that, rising health consciousness will also increase (6) the individual’s consciousness in pursuit of safety and security.

From these six trends, we assumed the following three office visions of the future.
1. Integration of usiness processes in advanced and emerging markets.
2. Two types of office worker: knowledge workers and skilled workers(*).
3. Individually optimized work environment.

* Polarization of workers: Here, we have defined the way people work into two categories: knowledge workers and skilled workers. A knowledge worker depends little on the company or the organization regarding the devices used or safety and security, and is a worker who views the project as a way of working, indifferent to working hours or the work place. On the other hand, a skilled worker depends greatly on the company or the organization regarding the devices used or safety and security, and is a worker who views work on the basis of working hours and the work place.

Ricoh’s vision for the future of work

We have examined the values that will guide Ricoh in supporting the new ways of working that reflect these office visions of the future.

First, we can imagine that we will build a workflow to connect internal and external organizations to construct seamless document workflow, where we may provide alternate processing and process-building services. Of course, because the workflow extends beyond the country and region, the environment must enable smooth collaboration, overcoming language barriers. We can support global collaboration by removing document and conversational language barriers, in order to communicate more seamlessly. We believe that providing one-stop outsourcing services related to business processes including higher level operations will improve the customer’s productivity so that each company can concentrate resources on core operations.

Further, the workplace is also diversifying. It will become necessary to provide information equipment-systems and services suited to diversified environments and needs, such as in newly emerging markets. Beyond that, a comfortable, secure and optimum mobile tele-work environment must be realized as workers and companies work anytime and anywhere (with anyone). We may provide the third space, not merely a space for rent, but accompanied by services with high added value, such as outsourcing services and remote communication beyond mobile services. A third space is meant to be a space where business can be accomplished at places other than an office as the first choice or home as the second. Although the way of working changes, a support environment is also needed to support brainstorming and self-development in accordance with the career and cultivation of human resources, self-learning, and response to diversified career plans.

Of course, we consider it important to provide services that are secure, safe, comfortable and suited to the individual. These must be able to realize an environment that saves energy and promotes health management and security.

The Ricoh Group forges ahead with R&D by focusing on technologies that adapt to the customer’s work style and reduce environmental impact, with a view to various future potentialities.

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