Some claim that the nicest thing about life in a big corporation is the abundance of experts “just down the hall.” Got an idea or a question? You get out of your chair and take a short walk to see if Bob or Louise is available. Now you can do the same thing, even if the hall is thousands of miles long!

Down the Hall is a setup for groups that want to enable quick, informal interactions. Maybe you’re designing a new circuit and your fabricator is in another town; why not buzz him and show what you’ve got? Maybe you’re in the lab and you want to talk over with your customer if this is the formulation she wants.

Down the Hall is an effective way to bring together a geographically separate team into a close-knit and coherently run group with a sense of closeness and easy-going connection.