Overview

 

In this deep-dive product video, Obsidian Control Systems’ Matt Gerardi walks through the NX3, explaining the design decisions behind the console.

 

Built around the idea that a professional lighting console should be something programmers look forward to using and feel comfortable working on for hours, the video focuses on the details that matter most in real-world use.

 

Rather than offering a surface-level overview, it shows how the layout supports actual workflows, how the hardware feels during long sessions, and how the platform scales as productions grow.

 

Through hands-on demonstrations and developer insight, the video highlights the intuitive controls, refined ergonomics, and scalable performance that define the NX3 experience.

 

Problem

 

Positioning has traditionally been spec- and feature-driven, making differentiation difficult in an already highly technical category.

 

As a result:

 

• Messaging focused on the console’s capabilities rather than the benefits of using it

• Competing products felt interchangeable

• The product’s core value wasn’t clearly understood or communicated

 

The experience was built into the product, but it wasn’t communicated in a way that made it visible or cohesive.

 

Insight

 

The NX 3, or any product that’s worth its salt, isn’t defined only by what it does but by how it’s experienced in use. Meaning is created through interaction, not description.

 

Approach

 

• Anchored the narrative in interaction

  • Defined the product through real workflows and user behavior, so the narrative reflects how it operates in practice.

• Established experience pillars

  • Translated interaction patterns into clear narrative themes that could scale across messaging and content.

• Built a cohesive system

  • Aligned web, video, and marketing around the same experience-driven narrative, ensuring consistency across touchpoints.

• Translated function into story

  • Shifted communication from isolated features to continuous interaction, showing how the product feels to use over time.

 

Outcome

 

• Established a clear, experience-driven narrative for the NX3

• Improved differentiation in a feature-heavy category

• Made the NX3 easier to understand through interaction, not description

• Created alignment across content, messaging, and storytelling

 

Key Takeaway

 

Products aren’t just a list of features. Narrative emerges from how something is used, not just how it’s described.