Build on Platforms, Not Standalone Apps - Digital Explorers' Diary #51

Welcome to the Digital Explorers' Diary #51!

A curated collection of thought-provoking topics about interactive technologies, AI, web3, sense-making, entrepreneurship, and psychology.

Executive summary:

• The need to consider existing platforms when creating an AR/VR experience,
• Samsung's Headset Rumors,
• Examples of VR in Education,
• and privacy risks in VR!

Towards a Netflix of Interactive Experiences?

Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Spotify, these streaming platforms have revolutionized how we consume music and movies.

These are unique gateway platforms for the users. They can access it from any platform, enjoy their favorite content as soon as it's released, find similar media they might like, get recommendations… Their ubiquitous presence in our lives definitely shows the pertinence of their offerings.

On the content producer side, these platforms have made it easy to diffuse content to a large audience. There are, of course, licensing, translation, and legal considerations, but in hours, they can reach millions of users without worrying about distribution. For instance, it took me less than one hour to release our podcast on four platforms.

Interactive experiences are on the same path, some further than others.

When I began creating Augmented Reality experiences in 2006, we needed two computers to make it work. Then, we supported Adobe Flash, and AR became accessible to more users. With mobile phones, the golden age of apps came along. Now, AR is also available on the web!

Virtual Reality is a bit behind; the diversity of headsets and platforms makes it difficult to distribute an omnichannel experience. WebXR, the standard for VR on the Web that also works in headsets, is still not available on iOS; and even if it might be open on the Vision Pro, it leaves a large number of users out.

With all of the above, you still need a way to bring your users to the experience. Whether it’s an ad, a link from your social media, a QR Code in-store, or on the packaging, it’s difficult; the conversion ratio is usually relatively low. There needs to be a real incentive for the users to click in.

Reaching your audience. This is critical and something to think about when initiating an Augmented or Virtual Reality project.

With AR, Instagram, Tiktok, and Snapchat are ubiquitous on all user’s smartphones, making distribution a breeze and virality easier. The experience is tied to the client’s account, easily accessible, and sharable. During the last month, our face Tattoo filter on Instagram for Inkers has recorded 127K usages - without ads!

VR has still to find its Netflix-like, but some great candidates are starting to emerge. The user experience will be very similar: a library of Virtual Worlds accessible anytime, from anywhere. Some will be free; some will require payment to access. They will be spread into categories: social, brand experience, gaming, interactive movies, art, health and fitness… Distributing on these platforms will become a mandatory step, and brands are starting to get up to speed. Here are a few very recent examples:

• L’Oreal is releasing virtual hairstyles for Ready Player Me, Zepeto, and Roblox,
• Paris Hilton’s Slivingland is in Roblox,
• Barbie is present in Rec Room,

Don’t forget: these experiences can be enjoyed on a VR Headset, but they do not require one. Roblox and Zepeto are on mobile, and VR Chat and Meta’s Horizon Worlds smartphone apps are in the works. Let’s get ready!

Did that article spark an idea? Let’s brainstorm this together, book a call with me!

This Week's News:

1. Let me repeat it: Virtual Reality is a fantastic way to simulate a situation with the safety of being able to stop the experience at anytime and enough simulation to trigger changes.
   A few examples in education:
   VR is used to help students improve their public speaking abilities,
   In college and internship programs, VR is used to help students get familiar with what a work environment looks like, allowing them to see what that work consists of before applying for or choosing a career path.
   The tutoring platform GoStudent received another round of funding this week to develop GoVR, their Virtual Training platform.
   insidehighered.com
2. In another episode of « technology looks like magic », a group of researchers was able to infer personal information by analyzing head and hand motion data from a VR headset and running it through an AI model. Besides near-obvious things like height or sex, they were also capable of guessing age and ethnicity!
   I’m taking this study with a grain of salt as many caveats are tied to correlation and not causation, but the models will only get better, which raises obvious privacy concerns! Example data inference… Scary.
3. Rumors arise for Samsung’s XR Headset, developed in collaboration with Google and Qualcomm. After the release of the Apple Vision Pro, it was reported that Samsung revised its copy. So, is this a leak of the headset before the revisions or after? Impossible to know, but it’s great to see that they didn’t abandon the project.
   Also, this rumor mentions that this device will be tightly integrated with your phone, and that’s excellent news. A smartphone can act as a controller and a side device. It will enhance in many ways the user experience!
   xrdailynews.com

From the Podcast

Every week, I’m teaming up with Guillaume Brincin and Sébastien Spas on the Lost In Immersion podcast. This week:

1. Can headsets be used for Desktop work? This is one of the most advertised uses of Mixed Reality, especially since the Apple Vision Pro announcement. We discuss this article that shows how reality might be much more challenging. Indeed, the low number of pixels per degree of visual field plus the distortion brought by the lenses is altering the sharpness of the text. The users will have to increase the font size for the text to be readable, and these visual artifacts will lead to eye fatigue. In short: it’s not that we can’t work in a headset; it’s that we won’t; the gains are not worth it. Karl Guttag
2. Finally, significant usage of transparent screens? A proof of concept is now in testing in Tokyo’s biggest station: the screen displays real-time translation for both the tourists and the employee, facilitating communication. I’m curious to experience it; definitely on my to-do list!
3. Now, a bit of fun! Did you know that VR Waterslides existed? We all think it’s a great experience, with the hope that the position of the head is correctly tracked during the slide.
4. And finally, Guillaume experimented with two packages that let you create AI-driven NPC (Non-Player Characters) in Unity and Unreal Engine. He was impressed by Convai and its straightforward setup. Definitely, we’ll see a growth of this AI usage in Virtual Worlds and Games!
   Convai

Watch the podcast below, and tune in at 10 am UTC on Tuesdays on Twitch, and listen to the podcasts on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Amazon!

Did this newsletter spark some ideas? There are a lot of ways we can work together:

• A quick-fire, 30-minute brainstorm with me - book it here!
• We can ideate, prototype, and build your experiences - contact us here!