A few weeks ago I attended the Virtual Reality Show at the London Business Centre. Here a large variety of virtual reality (VR) players were displaying their services and functionalities.
I was quite sceptic about the potential of this tool before booking the tickets for the conference. To my understanding VR was just another gaming gadget only used by gamers to immerse themselves into virtual worlds and interact with other players.
While exploring the fair I was able to try various VR handsets - you can see a picture of me below :), access to different conferences where industry experts, such as Tim Joyce from Constructive Labs, guided us through a journey of creating content for use in 360° immersive experiences, and Ruvan Wijesooriya (picture below), who surprised us with his VR projects within the world of fashion.
From the very beginning, experts, developers and practitioners' deep passion and commitment for this technology made me feel fascinated by the event.
Me :)
Ruvan Wijesooriya presenting Unstitched fashion project
After a few minutes in the show, I must say I was mind blown by the power and possibilities of this technology so I asked myself fundamental questions about this gizmo, such as 'What is VR?', 'What is the difference between VR and augmented reality (AR)?', 'What is the impact and benefits of VR?', 'Is VR a fad or a tech that will expand in time?'. These are some of the questions I will throw light upon with this article.
To understand the full potential of VR and its functionalities, it's crucial to explain what it is, VR is a 3D-created virtual environment that makes you feel like if you were truly living in that world, with all its features, while its close cousin AR helps us improve real world experiences with virtually created elements.
VR is a technology which impact and benefits spread across industries. The key areas VR is already revolutionising are:
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EDUCATION & REAL LIFE EXPERIENCES |
I engaged with the Google Expedition team which promoted the use of VR as a complementary tool for educational purposes. This Google service allows pupils to travel to places they would never travel to otherwise, such as the Great Barrier Reef in Australia or a space shuttle (please see video below).
VR is also used for on the job training, The Digital Engineering & Test Centre explained me how they had developed an app for Ford (i.e. large automotive manufacturer) to train their staff on how to move on the assembly line even before a production line is in place! (please see video below).
The array of possibilities doesn't end here, VR is being used in the workplace by doctors to rehearse complex surgical procedures and even psychologists to help their patients to fight back their phobias (e.g. claustrophobia)!
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| IMMERSIVE BRAND EXPERIENCES |
As part of the show, I had a chat with the Dock10 which is a digital media service provider and they showed me how famous British franchises, such as the Voice and London Fashion Week, are using VR to develop immersive brand experiences. VR is 'democratising brand experiences'. People don't want to be anymore passive receivers of information but active participants who can actually interact and feel something when interacting with your content. VR offers the possibility for marketers to truly become brand architects and design virtual scenarios that help people to immediately connect with the brands they love.
Browsing online I discovered the best examples bringing to life what I mentioned above, such as:
Lowe's home furniture provider, which created 'Holorooms' where people can create and visualise their plans for home improvements (see video in the left side).
United Nations, with their 'Under the Net' 360 documentary which tells the story of Amisa, a girl living in a Yarugusu refugee camp in Tanzania, where her family struggles to survive and learns how to fight malaria. The objective of this documentary is to get world leaders closer to the day to day life struggles of the poorest people on earth and drive key decision makers to action.
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| GET FASTER & BETTER CONSUMER FEEDBACK |
From my perspective, the benefit of VR for researchers double-sided. On one hand, it will help researches to accelerate the product and communication creation process so that ads, virtual prototypes, store layouts, apps and so on can be tested and modified in real time with immediate input from consumers. On the other hand, VR will speed up research fieldwork time and logistics. Now interviewees are able to test product or advertisements at a time applicable to them and interact with moderators and other participants across the world at home.
THE FUTURE OF VR
VR is a progressive and pioneering technology which offers far reaching benefits and opportunities. The high penetration of smartphone in developed markets and the low cost of entry VR glasses (e.g. Google cardboard for £2) means that many people might adopt this gadget in the very near future. Big players, such as Facebook with the acquisition of Oculus Rift for $2bn, and the expansion of Google, HP, Nvidia Corp and Samsung expansion into this territory, proves the high potential of this industry.
The long-term success of this technology depends on VR developers mentioned above to pitch this tech usage to the right audience and clearly show its applicability across different fields and industries.
On my way home, I could only think to myself, how wrong I was in thinking VR was just a video game. VR is a great tool that is disrupting the way humans beings have interacted up until now.
I am very curious to see which worlds this tool will open up for us!
Sources:
1.What is Virtual Reality (Virtual Reality Society) - https://www.vrs.org.uk/virtual-reality/what-is-virtual-reality.html
2. Fact or Fiction: Virtual Reality in Market research - https://www.flexmr.net/blog/marketing-strategy/2016/11/virtual-reality-in-market-research.aspx
