Attempt To Explain: Beta Today, Better Tomorrow
So we can get better, we do Beta.
Attempting to Explain Beta Today, Better Tomorrow™
Always Beta™ doesn't mean sacrificing quality to get something out the door. In fact, it's the opposite: it's a daily reminder to do the best we can with what we have, to share our ideas early with people we trust, and to stay humble and hungry to learn more.
Following a fundamentally Fallibilistic approach of Conjecture + Criticism we make sure every day is broken down into an ambitious, actionable goal that we can share with the team by the time we log off. This level of accountability and Hypercollaborative oversharing means that everyone has the autonomy to work the hours they want, from wherever in the world they choose, without losing the support of their team.
Beta today, better tomorrow means:
Having Strong Opinions, Loosely Held
Trusting that Small Failures help you avoid big ones.
Always building on Best Practise™
Not forgetting to Stay Humble
Acknowledging that you're always at The Beginning of Infinity
A Culture of Discipline is more impressive than a pool of talent.
Strategy
Brand strategy can learn a lot from digital strategy.
That is to say that as traditional brand strategists, we learned a lot from watching the digital world of quantifiable metrics and social contagion eat our perfectly crafted but largely hypothetical Brand Strategies alive. Watching your work not work the way “it was meant to” inarguably and in real-time is a great way to stuff humble pie down your throat.
Brands, like any big ideas, are memetic: living works-in-progress that evolve (and evolve with) the culture. They replicate by staying relevant in a changing environment. What’s relevant and true for a brand at one point in time may no longer be so once the environment – and consumer expectations — change. And change is inevitable.
So the question is, how do we figure out how a brand can adapt and change with the times, without going full 8 Mile and losing itself? And as the world around us changes at the speed of culture or whatever, how does a brand know which conversations to jump in on, and which to avoid? Which issues to care about, and which to sit out?
This is where having a sense of what your brand values is critical. And while it definitely looks the same, what your brand values could (but ideally shouldn’t) be confused with “brand values”, which nine times out of ten are toothless-and-or-nonsense compromise-y words like “community” and “trust” and “integrity” and “inclusivisim”.
What a brand actually values means what a business will choose to invest in when resources are limited — and resources are always limited. We like to think of them as “non-negotiables”, because if you can identify your non-negotiables that you’ll find the power and conviction to make difficult decisions in difficult times. People who know what their business doesn’t negotiate tend to have the power to make the bold moves their competitors won’t. And having power to make the hard choices today ultimately makes life easier tomorrow.
But even better, it’s in identifying the non-negotiables that you realise that everything else is, by contrast, up for negotiation. And once you can do that, you really can open your dialogue up to the market. To allow your stakeholders the chance to own your ideas. You can both share your vision, and make room to listen to how people understand and interpret it.
This is where we believe our role as a creative agency really comes in: facilitating this conversation. Keeping it on track. And learning from the dialogue. Not changing the ideas that matter to our clients just because the market doesn’t believe in it… but making sure the delivery of the core messages are communicated in a way that people want to hear, and care about enough to share.
That’s how we get better tomorrow. By admitting we’re only in beta today.
Delivery
LUCKY FOR YOU ALL… the Operations team is referred to as the ‘Beta’ team in the Love + Money strategy documents. So, yeah. We know a thing or two.
I sat across the table from Charl at a small-experimental-cocktail bar in Shoreditch (classic) this week as he described to a friend why this was the case. And quite honestly, I didn’t really know myself. He explained that it’s because we’re constantly adapting our processes.
Hadn’t really thought about it until then, but like most things Charl says, it’s kinda true. Once upon a time, in late 2019, LAM was a three-person band. Things have changed though, and as the business grows, so to does its requirement for additional processes and platforms. And people for that matter. In a dream world, we’d know every process we needed in order to deliver on our scopes in an ever growing team. However the reality is that we often don’t know what we need until something goes slightly wrong. Fortunately an Always Beta™ mentality makes that moment a little less uncomfy.
There have been trying times in projects that have put our systems under some real pressure. I’ve been through just enough now though to recognise that we’re usually at a critical point, and probably about to learn something important about our business. I have a lot more faith now in our failures. So long as they’re Type 1, they’re okay.
Development Team
In the world of software development, the phrase “Beta today, better tomorrow” captures the essence of continuous improvement. As programmers, we understand the stages of alpha and beta, but this concept goes beyond development milestones. It reflects the relentless pursuit of creating valuable digital products.
When we start a software project, our focus is on delivering a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) that fulfills its intended purpose. The MVP represents the core functionality and essential features, laying the foundation for future growth.Once the MVP is launched, the beta phase becomes crucial. Real-world users provide valuable feedback during this phase. We learn from their interactions, adapt, and evolve the product. The concept of “Beta today, better tomorrow” comes alive here.
To truly grasp this concept, we need to understand the dynamic nature of value. The initial focus on the core functionality ensures the product serves its purpose.
However, the beta phase uncovers user needs, preferences, and expectations. Some features gain significance while others may prove less valuable than anticipated. It’s a journey of learning and refinement.The “Beta today, better tomorrow” mindset fosters continuous learning and iterative improvement. We gather data, interpret user insights, and apply them to refine the product. This user-centric approach ensures our creations evolve and adapt with each iteration.
In summary, “Beta today, better tomorrow” embodies the spirit of continuous improvement in software development. Starting with an MVP, we grow the product through the beta phase, incorporating user feedback and refining its value. It’s an iterative journey of learning, resulting in enhanced products that meet the evolving needs of the market and users.
Design
Hello, it's me Jacq, LAM's 3D Designer or as some call me - Houdini Queen.
3D is enigmatic. It's a realm where a single crisp (or chip, depending on your geography) can take 8 agonising years to create, while an awe-inspiring particle simulation magically materialises in under half an hour. It's a wild ride, my friend, with surprises lurking around every corner of every polygon.
When I joined the ranks at LAM, my goal was to produce the most flawless, mind-blowing render by day's end. And let me tell you, 50% of the time, I achieved that level of greatness. But my perfectionist tendencies and stubborn refusal to let go of an idea often hindered my progress.
That’s where the thoughts "Beta Today" and "Better Tomorrow" have really changed the game. Here’s the breakdown; not my own personal one, rather the lessons:
Quantity trumps quality (initially)
Instead of obsessing over a single flawless render, I realized I needed to divide my time into thirds. Spending less time on each individual concept allowed me to churn out 2-3 different ideas during our sprint phase (lasting 1-2 days). Sure, it stung a bit to see these renders unfinished (at least in my eyes) and released into the wild, but it made my life easier.
By experimenting with various techniques in a single day, I learned more and provided the team with a broader range of ideas. The funny thing is, many of the 3D concepts that successfully made it through were the ones I spent the least time on. They were the "I'm not in love with this, but let's give it a shot" kind of concepts.
Watch and learn
Previously, during these sprints, I would receive a direction in the morning, while the other designers would work their magic in Figma. I, on the other hand, would disappear into the render zone and return later in the day, hoping my work aligned with their creations. More often than not, my renders didn't quite mesh with what the designers had come up with. After all, I don't use Figma for 3D work, and missed the main events of the Figma party. However, we've now evolved our approach. At the start of a sprint, I become a silent observer, watching design unfold while simultaneously rendering.
Rather than fixating on my own idea all day, I adapt my 3D concepts as I witness the progress of the team. This shift has been a game-changer, forcing me to pivot and relieving me of a significant case of FOMO.
Eat, sleep, template, repeat
After immersing myself in countless tutorials, absorbing an avalanche of techniques in a single day, my brain reached its limits quite quickly. I lost track of numerous techniques, frustratingly aware that I had written that elusive line of code somewhere in the depths of file incremental hell, long forgotten. And then came the templates. Yes I know, this is a bit of a "have you tried turning it on and off again" moment. Now, I know exactly where to find the code or node setup for every simulation I've ever tackled, saving me from the abyss of memory lapses. And here's another confession: I've curated a sacred folder on YouTube, diligently saving every tutorial that has ever shed light on Houdini's mysteries.
Better Tomorrow
Long story long, instead of spending my days wondering "where tf did I use that technique", "why tf can't I remember", or "why tf did I spend a day on something that just isn't it", I now have time for doing my best work and pestering my colleagues for fun. Oh, and let's not forget my unending quest to unravel the mysteries of that one software my entire career hinges upon.
Beta today, better tomorrow informs both a method and a mindset across our business. It applies to every facet of of our work. It’s central to our philosophy, and you’d hope so– we say it an awful lot. What does it mean to you? Let us know in the comments.
#alwaysbetababy
Attempt To Explain
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