Welcome to the latest WorkSpace Connect News Wrap, our regular recap of the news related to the modern workplace, the professionals that make it happen, and the products and services that enable it. In this edition, we explore a group sharing work-from-home (WFH) office design tips and then the latest software updates from Lumicademy and InVision.
Staples Provides Home Office Makeover Tips
Offices supply company
Staples introduced its WFH Style Squad, a group of creatives, designers, and entrepreneurs who will share tips on refreshing at-home and hybrid workspaces throughout the year. Led by interior designer
Jasmine Roth, the WFH Style Squad will share office design insight, using Staples’s selection of products and services, and include tips on what chairs, desks, lighting, technology, and accessories will be ideal for a workspace.
“We are spending more time than ever before in our remote workspaces,” said Roth. “I believe creating a space that is both functional and stylish can inspire us as we conquer our to-do lists.”
The announcement comes as many workplaces are looking to embrace hybrid work while also continuing to support remote employees. According to
research from Gallup, 76% of 9,915 U.S. employees are reporting their employee is allowing at least partial remote work moving forward. Similarly, in a survey commissioned by Economist Impact, Google Workspace found that 75% of 1,244 employees and managers surveyed believed that hybrid and flexible work will be standard practice for their organization in the next three years, as
Forbes reported.
Lumicademy Updates Video Learning Service
Education and training software provider Lumicademy announced an update to its platform, designed to give users more functionality to its users in corporate training, educational institutions, and government organizations. With Lumicademy, corporate trainers, IT admins, and HR professionals can conduct video-based training.
With this week’s update, users will have access to new features, including:
- Media sharing: Educators can share video and audio files with attendees and other team members in real-time, and they can play, pause, stop, and replay any shared screen video. Most video files formats are supported, and shared videos recordings are available from the Lumicademy room.
- Mobile chat: Educators can now chat in real-time using their mobile devices.
- Video and audio update - Lumicademy now has a setting that shows attendee names on videos and improved Android and iOS audio compatibility.
In addition, Lumicademy announced enhanced Windows 11 Support, which will now support high-dpi displays and multi-monitor setups.
“Corporate virtual training has become a must-have for companies in a cross-section of industries. In the last two years, virtual and remote training has expanded for a number of reasons, including pandemic-related factors,” said Allen Drennan, co-founder and CTO of Lumicademy.
InVision Adds Features to Digital Canvas Service
- Board, Cards, and smart widgets: Teams can now use Cards and Boards within Freehand workflows to organize their projects. Cards are designed to capture ideas, tasks, and goals, while Boards can help organize cards into columns. Additionally, Freehand users can convert stick notes into a live Jira Ticket through Cards and Boards smart widgets. Additionally, InVision has Freehand add-ons for other third-party services, including Adobe XD, Google, Loom, videos from YouTube or Vimeo, and others.
- Enhanced video conferencing integrations: InVision is currently working on a native integration with Zoom that'll bring the Freehand app into the Zoom experience. Recently, InVision partnered with Microsoft to bring its Freehand capabilities to Microsoft Teams.
- Usability update: Updates to the user experience include a streamlined toolbar, onboarding support, and an orientation experience for new users.
- More templates: Teams using Freehand will have access to over 100 new templates, including templates for product design, HR, marketing, and IT roles.
