Transforming collaboration through immersive technologies
AR is used more and more in education, collaboration and business. These applications are finding their ways into organizations, but what is it that they actually do there?
Immersive technologies provide just that: immersion. Having the ability to put on a headset or AR smart glasses gives you the ability to surround yourself with information. It’s much like the futuristic HQ in spy movies, hologram information flying in the air and thrown around with a wave of your hand. That’s roughly the vision that is being made real right this moment.
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But what is the reason of using 3D spaces for displaying information? The benefits are plenty, but let’s cover a few:
Less information clutter
3D information
Presence with others
Information clutter
Information clutter is basically the 15 browser tabs you might have open on your computer. Today’s knowledge work consists of combining information from many various sources. Articles, graphs, pictures, reports, emails, messages, research papers. Information is flooding in and right now it’s coming in from a pipe, namely the 2D screen on your phone or laptop.
Imagine having all that information around you, not in front of you. You could organize it neatly, place everything around you in an orderly fashion, just like arranging furniture in your house. Every object should be in a place where it is easy to access and to use, optimizing its purpose.
In a way it’s a matter of visualization. The best way to make information comprehensible is to have it laid before you in a way that enables you to connect pieces together. Making relevant connections and structuring what you have is what takes you forward. In a 3D space working through that analysis is so much easier, and it enables you to work on the information better with other people too. Having an infinite workspace around you to place all necessary puzzle pieces into is just an amazing privilege to have.
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3D information
As mentioned before immersive applications provide is that all information is placed into a 3D space. Our minds are tuned for information in a 3D environment. That is part of our evolution as animals. That makes us much more capable for internalizing information when it is spread out into a 3D space around us. Another advantage for your analytical tasks.
The benefit of 3D grows all the more relevant when information itself is given that third dimension. Manipulating 3D models through a 2D screen is awkward and non-intuitive. With a pair of smart glasses or a headset you can jump into the same space with that 3D model and start manipulating it much more naturally. You can see scale and proportion intuitively, organize different parts neatly around you and even virtually simulate the use of the object. The latter is very impactful and the reason why XR is used so much in industrial training.
All in all, the third dimension creates more practical and impactful spaces to work in. It breaks us free from the clumsy interfaces we are forced to use when interacting through 2D screens. In that way XR is the next step in the evolution of HCI (human-computer interaction): first we had keyboard and mouses, then touchscreens and now the completely natural interfaces that enable you to extend your arm and grab the things you want to select.
Presence
In addition to the digital information, XR solutions also take you in the same space with other people. Sharing a space like this is an important boost for interpersonal communication. After all an important part of knowledge work is digesting all that information with others, in order to expand individual knowledge into shared understanding.
Building shared understanding is a lot easier through an immersive technology than it is through traditional remote tools. When diving into a virtual 3D space with another person, all the previously explained benefits on less information clutter and 3D information can be used in collaboration. More importantly having the necessary information around you rather than behind a screen provides you with a wide variety of different non-verbal communication options.
It might not seem much but having the possibility to merely point to a piece of information and say “that” is immensely effective. To put it in context, try piling up 20 different documents and work on them with a colleague. Refer to them only through names and descriptions. Then put them up on a wall. The ability to know what the other person is referring to becomes instantly faster and less ambiguous. And all you have to do is point to the document you are talking about.
It is the same benefit one has when using a whiteboard in a brainstorming session or having the ability to touch and feel a product or a prototype. Tangible objects hold much more information in them than their 2D models or verbal descriptions. Recreating objects in virtual 3D spaces is a great way to access similar benefits, but without the constraints of physical location. Just imagine the possibilities for collaboration, or for example product showcasing.
Another benefit of presence in the virtual 3D space with another person is that sharing a space also boosts interpersonal communication. You don’t just know better what information the other person is referring to but understand what they mean. This is because immersive technologies give a person a lot more non-verbal cues to work with. Presence in the same space alone gives access to proxemics, the ability to communicate through relative distance. People can also use their hands and gestures, as well as turn their heads. Facial expressions are still a thing in the future, at least in all their complexity, yet well made personal avatars make it easy for you to feel like you’re sharing the space with the other person.
The boost in interpersonal interaction through presence is a step towards solving the greatest issues of remote work: loneliness and disconnection from team members. Our current, traditional digital solutions from remote collaboration are sufficient, but not ideal for solving tasks and handling information. But they are completely inadequate for facilitating proper human interaction. Messages and video conferences leave people feeling alone in their home offices. Immersion could bring these people together in an impactful way, giving a glimmer of hope on solving these issues.
Conclusion
Less information clutter, 3D information and presence are all good reasons to try out immersive technologies in collaboration and interpersonal interaction. They are definitely working their way to everyone’s workflow sooner or later. Early adaptors are the ones that get the most out of a new technology as they become masters to use it before it is introduced as an industry standard. Small steps along the way are much easier than huge leaps later on.
Mobile AR is at the moment the most accessible form of immersive applications available. They do not require expensive hardware like headsets or smart glasses. ARcall is an example of an impactful communication solution that enables you to share a space with colleagues through hologram calls. Give it a try by downloading it here . After all the only way to know how these technologies work is to experience them first-hand.