Over the last few years, the workplace has evolved. We’re living in an era where an employee’s productivity isn’t defined by where they are, but instead by the tools they can access. The traditional, office-based team is quickly being replaced by a generation of distributed hybrid and remote workers, capable of completing tasks from wherever they have an internet connection.
However, while the age of remote and hybrid work has delivered a host of benefits to businesses and their teams, it has also presented some new challenges. Specifically, many organisations are struggling to ensure they can effectively synchronize digital teams for collaborative tasks.
While video conferencing and online messaging tools solve a portion of the problem, companies are discovering they can access higher levels of engagement, improve feelings of inclusion and nurture creativity with immersive tech. Immersive collaboration tools bridge the gaps between distributed workers, by allowing team members to step into virtual workplaces like never before.
Here are some of the top trends currently influencing the future of immersive collaboration.
- The Metaverse and Digital Twins
Metaverse environments could hold the key to the future of collaboration. These digital landscapes, custom made to suit the needs of each company or team, can provide employees with instant access to a virtual version of the workplace, wherever they are. Through metaverse spaces, team members can take advantage of voice, video, and messaging tools, share files, and even work together on projects in real-time, interacting with digital content through extended reality.
There are already examples of companies using metaverse environments to boost collaboration and enhance company culture. Accenture’s metaverse solution, the “Nth floor” features replicas of real-world environments, where new hires and employees can train, connect with staff and more.
The metaverse also opens the door to a new way of utilizing digital twins – virtual simulations of real-world processes, products, and environments. For instance, in the construction industry, a company could build a metaverse space where team members can work together on producing the virtual blueprints for a new building or roadway. They can test three-dimensional assets in a safe and secure environment, exploring how they’ll respond to different use cases, without wasting resources.
- Advanced Avatars and Presence Technology
One of the main reasons why companies are exploring immersive collaboration tech as an alternative to standard video conferencing and messaging tools, is the need for a greater sense of presence. While video can replicate face-to-face interactions, it lacks the human presence of an in-person discussion. Metaverse environments, XR, and other immersive collaboration tools solve this problem.
Many companies investing in the immersive collaboration world are helping team members to recreate their presence in digital environments, with avatar creation tools. Microsoft Teams has its own avatar solution for those in the immersive landscape, and Meta also allows staff members to create virtual versions of themselves for professional interactions.
In recent years, these avatars have become increasingly more advanced, giving team members more opportunities to customize their digital identities. Additionally, the rise of tools designed to improve human connections, such as eye and facial tracking sensors, are making it easier for employees to show emotion, and share body language during virtual meetings.
- New Senses in the Immersive Experience
Many early examples of immersive collaboration technology focus heavily on sight. Metaverse environments are built to visually replicate real-world spaces. Virtual reality tools allow us to explore 360-degree visual experiences. However, true immersion relies on a wider range of senses.
Bringing more senses into the immersive experience employees have when logging into virtual workplaces could lead to a higher level of engagement. For instance, spatial sound technology is already becoming a commonplace component of many enterprise-focused headsets and wearables. With spatial sound, companies can reduce cognitive overload, improve training experiences, and create more realistic environments for teams.
Haptic technologies are also gaining increasing attention in the immersive collaboration space. Through the use of gloves, body suits, and various other tools, developers and designers can bring a sense of touch to an immersive landscape. Employees can actually feel the texture of the products they interact with in a virtual environment, or experience the sensation of picking up a document.
- The Rise of Mixed Reality
While all aspects of immersive technology are currently evolving at a rapid rate, the focus for many companies leveraging extended reality for collaboration in the last few years has been somewhat restricted. Virtual reality collaboration tools and augmented reality apps are commonplace. However, mixed reality has often been overlooked, as potentially too complex.
Fortunately, the continued digital transformation of the modern landscape could mean that mixed reality starts to become more commonplace in the years ahead. Many leading headset vendors are experimenting with XR tools capable of combining virtual and augmented reality experiences into a more vivid and engaging environment for users.
New screens, sensors, and devices are making it easier for companies to leverage holographic representations of products and people when building their collaborative environments. We’re even seeing a rise in the number of companies creating smart glasses, enhanced by mixed reality concepts. As the hardware and software in the XR space continues to transform, MR may begin to play more of a significant role in future instances of immersive collaboration.
- Improvements in Streaming and Cloud Computing
Finally, while the headsets, software solutions and metaverse environments available to companies investing in immersive collaboration are evolving, they still suffer from a major challenge. Many organizations still struggle to create a unified digital experience for their employees, due to a lack of computing and processing power.
To truly take advantage of the powerful experiences immersive technology can provide, businesses also need to find an effective way of streaming content to users. Fortunately, edge and cloud-based computing solutions are beginning to emerge. Organizations like Varjo have begun producing cloud distribution platforms, designed to simplify and streamline the transmission of data.
Evolutions in edge computing, 5G connectivity, and other enhanced networking options will make it easier for companies to deliver latency-free experiences to their employees, both inside and outside of the office.
