Metaverse and what does it really mean to us as Users & Designers
It is weird to start with an uncommon phenomenon that has been observed recently- “ Reduction of intimacy ”. I found this term in a beautiful article on “Effects of technology on Human Interaction” By DJ Wardynski. It says a lot about how people nowadays prefer texting over meeting in person or are busy communicating remotely and not relying on person-person conversations.
In this age of reducing intimacy, here comes a term that is out there nowadays: Metaverse. It sounds like a Multiverse isn’t it? But let’s not worry about the multiverse here, we will leave it to Doctor Strange as he has already explored it enough!!
Jokes apart!!. Let’s get to know Metaverse more. You will find loads of articles, news, and videos about the metaverse in boom today, but let’s look at the shortest version of the metaverse definition.
What is the “Metaverse”?
The word ”metaverse” was first used in a 1992 science fiction novel by Neal Stephenson, “Snow Crash” used the word ”metaverse” as a merge of the words ”meta” and “universe.”
In simple words, it is nothing but an “Extension to reality what humans are seeing, doing and experiencing right now.” Similar to what “Meta” humans mean in DC universe: Subjects that are beyond modern standards of reality. It seems like fiction, but think of it this way- What if you can fly anywhere around the world and explore everything that we cannot do sitting at home and sipping stupid juice boxes!! The only thing that changes here is the world, the environment is digital and can be experienced through your eyes with a simple combination of technology and the human mind.
To simplify it furthermore, Metaverse is an online, 3D, virtual space/ environment connecting humans/users in all aspects of their lives. More like connecting multiple platforms into one. Like how a web browser acts as a bridge for connecting/ collaborating multiple websites using an internet connection.
In technical terms: The metaverse is essentially a merging of virtual, augmented, and physical reality, and blurs the line between your interactions online and in real life.
How are industries coping with the emergence of the Metaverse?
Looking at Metaverse as a new gateway to digital experiences, it eliminates geography and opens up exciting new possibilities for entertainment, arts, collaboration, and productivity. As we are witnessing a deeper shift towards a digital economy accelerated by the global pandemic that we faced, we are enabled by the major technological developments — everything starting from blockchain to cloud technology and even 5G for that matter. Taking the above points into consideration, these 5 industries are and will be growing, benefiting, and will continue to revolutionize in the nearing future.
Gaming Industry- We can already see some aspects of the metaverse in existing virtual video game worlds. Players don’t just play the game anymore; they also use it for other activities and parts of their lives in “cyberspace”.As the metaverse unfolds, gaming companies will continue to unlock major new revenue streams by hosting music concerts, monetizing virtual goods, and scooping up major brand deals.
E-commerce & Retail market- Looking at the exponential growth of major giants in eCommerce industries such as Amazon, Shopify, and eBay, consumer adoption of the metaverse is the next big retail opportunity. Shopify merchants have already added 3D visualization to their stores and experienced, on average, 94% higher conversions. H&M and Walmart have already started to implement their Metaverse stores. As offline & online retailers begin to adopt 3D and AR, the shift to VR and the metaverse is the next revolution.
Healthcare Industry- With the convergence of core technologies in the metaverse — clinicians will be able to provide more integrated treatment programs and packages as compared to the isolated complex nature of much of the current healthcare system. Metaverse for healthcare will create an essentially boundless user experience, breaking down geographical constraints and creating limitless possibilities for patients all over the world.
4. Automotive Industry- The current impact of AR and the metaverse on the automotive industry is minor for now. However, as the use of AR in consumers’ day-to-day lives increases, adoption in automotive will increase. As the metaverse evolves, it could provide an avenue for viewing vehicles and interacting with salespeople in a more fluid fashion, versus shopping on a website. Also in future developments, car service can also be done and monitored using these technologies.
To help understand the impact of the metaverse, I have mentioned only 4 industries. Of course, there are countless more industries that will be impacted. And within each one, new opportunities & innovations will emerge.
How does Metaverse help us as Users & Designers?
Designers have to reorient their thinking around the 3D virtual space that which their users are going to interact.
What could be the approach to achieve this?
I think to understand this there is a great quote from Alex Kipman. And he says that he fell in love with the virtual reality space because the only thing that holds us back is the lack of imagination.
So, it is really clear that from a design perspective, it’s all about imagination.
This is where designers should begin to think. So, we’re moving from left-brain logical to a right-brain analogical or spatial type of thinking because our users will interact or inhabit spatial worlds and it’s our job as designers to help them move through those spatial worlds with the best amount of transition that we possibly can.
With that being said, the ultimate goal of designers will be to make audiences believe that the interaction happening in the metaverse is as good as in real space.
If designers want to design and create usable and comfortable spaces to interact with, they should try and reuse the existing methodologies used in 3D games in such a way that helps users visualize the same environment in the real world. Designers should be able to conduct user research around the young generation as their target audience as they are likely to become our early adopters of this emerging technology.
My take on this?
As we have seen above, designers may be ready and prepared for this new era of the metaverse by knowing a lot of digital technologies, tools, and learnings. But with that, the only thing that will help us is the basics that we learned when we first started into design as our careers, which are User research, empathy, collaboration, and last but not least User advocacy and justice. If we are ready to maintain such standards while designing for the future i.e Metaverse. I think every one of us when asked to design for Metaverse should be able to say:
