Imaginative Educators Activate Change at ISTE19
Philadelphia, home to the historic Independence Hall and Liberty Bell, recently hosted the 2019 ISTE Conference & Expo. The LocknCharge team didn’t just attend ISTE19 to enjoy mouthwatering cheesesteaks while climbing the seventy-two Rocky Steps; we were lucky enough to host an interactive exhibit for the 16,000 attendees. Aptly named the “Chill & Charge Lounge,” our booth welcomed educational representatives to take a load off in cushy green chairs while charging their mobile devices in our products.
Don’t get us wrong, we love traveling around the world telling people about our awesome charging and transport stations. However, that’s not the biggest reason we attend industry trade events. Conferences and conventions like ISTE19 are where we gain inspiration from potential product users so that we can produce more innovative products. They’re also a place to interact with customers to better understand their pain points so we can go home and work tirelessly to make our products even better.
Doodling Bold Concepts for the Ideal Classroom
That’s why we asked the educators at ISTE19 to let their creative juices flow while charging their devices at our booth. Armed with colored pens and Big Ideas notepads, teachers doodled their bold concepts for how they would like to improve their classrooms.
Unsurprisingly, teachers illustrated some very imaginative designs such as giving students a place to “recharge” during the day while their tech recharges. One Missouri teacher envisioned a wall-mounted media center in a 5 x 5 grid for an elementary school class where display and organization are more of an issue than security. Another teacher reminded us that “What matters most is not what technology the little hands hold, but the little hands holding the technology.”
These drawings were submitted for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card. Perfect for making a dent in that back-to-school classroom wishlist. The winning submission was from a teacher in Modesto, California. His big idea included a locked cell charging tower tied to a behavioral management system like Classcraft, ClassDojo, or PBIS solution.
Check out some of our favorite Chill & Charge Big Ideas!
Today’s Ideas Shape Tomorrow’s Solutions
The entire LocknCharge staff, from the CEO to the events team, is devoted to listening to customer feedback. We understand that this is the best way to drive new product improvements, which makes life easier for our customers. At the BETT show in 2018, customers spoke with us about out how our Joey Cart could be enhanced. Based on these comments, this multi-device charging station was completely remodeled from the way the doors close to how the cart is cabled. Just as we do for every new product, before the new Joey Cart product design was finalized, we held advisory sessions inviting customers to offer their critiques. We don’t shy from negative feedback; we embrace it because we know it translates directly into incredible innovation for our products that ALL of our customers can utilize.
The Proof is in the Products
Events like ISTE19 aren’t the only way we capture ideas. In addition, we run surveys after purchase to ask each and every customer how we can improve our offering. If a person evaluates our product but does not select it, we inquire as to why our solution wasn’t a good fit.
We also partner with customers to create new products. For example, Denton ISD wanted a 15 unit wall charging station that could be mounted to the wall to reduce the amount of floor space used in a classroom. Because LocknCharge only offered a 10 unit station, we added the Carrier 15 to our product line to help Denton ISD and other schools in the same situation. Our long-time customer and partner Putnam City Schools had an issue many schools encounter—reduced space in the classroom. They submitted their idea for a perfect product on the back of a napkin! Based on their suggestion, LocknCharge now proudly sells an entire line of Putnam products, including the Putnam 16, Putnam 8 and Putnam 18-C Base.
Read more about how our solutions are shaped by listening.
Send us your Napkins
What do you adore about our products? How do you think they could be improved? Whether you submit a doodle at our next trade show, fill out a survey, or send us your ideal solution on a napkin, we can’t wait to hear from you. The next best LocknCharge solution is waiting for your big idea!
