It was the summer between 5th and 6th grade. Long before the “balanced calendar” and year-round school, summers seemed to last forever – which was great.
I was old enough to not need supervision every second of every day, which means I was old enough to start taking some risks and learning a thing or two.
One particular day, my friends and I rode our bikes to the local municipal swimming pool. This pool’s legendary high dive had a reputation all its own. Being the age where hyperbole was more of a way of life, this thing might as well have been 30-stories tall. In truth looking back I think it was (3) meters. During previous summers I had shied away from slaying this particular dragon, but this year was apparently going to be different for some reason I can’t recall – oh that’s right, peer pressure! Before I knew it, there I was blindly climbing the ladder’s steps. When I got to the top, what was a noisy hot July breeze just 3 meters below, now became a brisk wind that invented goosebumps. And there was no noise… somehow the sounds of splashing and yelling were muted…just gone…silence. I was up there for what seemed like 7 or 8 years. I finally got the courage to take the requisite steps to the edge to look down. I remember wishing to be ANYWHERE else. Cutting through the silence I heard a voice say, “Better go. That ladder only goes up.” I still have no idea who said this. I’ve never even mentioned it until now. But those words resonated with me. 3…2…I… I jumped. I went deep into the unknown, and I lived. I stood on the edge of something that used to be bigger than me, heard what I needed to hear, and jumped.
I say all that to say this. Sometimes, in our professional lives, we still need to take chances and learn. I literally stood on that edge, and with the smallest amount of reassurance, threw caution to the wind and jumped. Years later, reflecting back on it, I’ve learned the value of being able to segment something out and do it one piece at a time. There are some scenarios where it’s not an option – like jumping off the high dive. That moment, when you jump is what it is. But the ladder to get there is one rung at a time.
The same rules apply when looking at interactive technology and the work that we’re able to do. Whether or not to use an interactive experience to strengthen your communication objectives is a daunting prospect without all the info. And that’s what we’re here for. Just because an interactive experience is a journey, doesn’t mean there needs to be fear associated with it. Working in phases is a great way to lessen the stress, ease the cost burden, and make sure you’re headed in the right direction. This is what it’s like to work with VisionThree.
First of all, we don’t look at the work like a project. A project is something fleeting… something with an end. We look at the work as an experience, or better yet, an investment. We know these things are investments for you. And that’s the way we’d rather it be too… we’re not here for the one and done deal. It’s in both of our interests that we act as partners and never “client and agency.” We know that you’re sticking your neck out if you’re bringing us to the table, and we don’t take that lightly or for granted. In order to make something that will last and be viable at all stages, we help you by building it to allow for scalability.
When you’re ready, we can talk. No pressure. We’d love to have you visit our Experience Center in person to get the full impact. But we can always have a virtual meeting to show you what we do with the actual experience creation. But where we really make a difference, we feel, is advising our clients on how to save time and money and achieve goals. Working in phases is only ONE of the many things we can help you with.
Let’s face it, there are going to be times in your professional life where you’re standing on that high dive all by yourself. Unlike that situation, we’re here to help remove some of that fear. In a way it’s kind of a good thing that the ladder only goes up…one rung at a time.
The question is, where will you go?
3…2…1
