In this blog, I have addressed the future of computing: The Metaverse. It is a word that has been buzzing around lately in the world of technology. There are no papers, to the best of my knowledge, that discuss the concepts of metaverse from the perspective of a designer. By means of this blog, I talk about the metaverse as a metaphor of agency, discuss the necessity of human-centered design in creating this new realm, discuss the co-creation process with the users, and speak about the affordances of metaverse artifacts. This blog intends to educate the readers about what is to come and at the same time generate curiosity and excitement about the disruptions in the markets that are going to take place in our lifetime.
Metaverse, Spatial computing, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality
Increasingly, the term "metaverse" is being used to describe a wide range of phenomena in both specialized scholarly and more popular contexts. Neal Stephenson is credited with coining the word ‘Metaverse’ in his best-selling sci-fi novel- Snow Crash (Stephenson, 1992) where he describes lifelike avatars interacting in virtual environments. Figure 1 shows the cover image of the said book (Penguin Random House & Stephenson, 2000). The surge is partly due to the hype around Facebook’s rebranding to 'Meta'. A large number of companies are evolving and beginning to invest in the metaverse to offer a hyper-real futuristic, maximalist, interconnected alternative world for us to coexist in. As predicted by technology enthusiasts and industry experts since the 1960s, the metaverse is going to play a significant role in next-generation computing.
Figure 1.
‘Snow Crash’ by Neal Stephenson
This book is credited for coining the word- ‘Metaverse’
Metaverse refers to a technology concept that blends virtual reality (VR) with augmented reality (AR), video, where users would experience the world of spatial computing or rather in other words would be able to work, play, and stay in touch with friends and attend concerts, conferences, and even go on virtual trips around the world. You will be able to do almost everything you would do in the real world in a virtual environment. The metaverse has long been a fascination of tech geeks since computers first emerged. Virtual reality is a concept that has existed since the 60s, It involves humans interacting in computerized, digital environments. The idea is to enable us to become part of the internet, instead of observing it.
In Weiser’s words (Weiser, 1991)- Virtual reality focuses an enormous apparatus on simulating the world rather than on invisibly enhancing the world that already exists. In contrast to that statement, I believe technology has advanced rapidly in the field of VR and AR since the article was released in 1991. A wide set of target audiences is beginning to comprehend the workings and implications of the metaverse as technology becomes more ubiquitous in our lives.
The metaverse is becoming more popular and real to users every day. On April 20, 2020, the American rapper and record producer, Travis Scott performed live in the battle royale game- Fortnite (Travis Scott and Fortnite Present: Astronomical (Full Event Video), 2020). According to reports, a staggering 12.3 million gamers were in its attendance. Figure 2 below shows a digital image (The Verge, 2020) of what the concert looked like. It goes to prove that just because something is happening in a virtual space and seems bizarre to some, it doesn't make it less real.
Figure 2. Travis Scott- Fortnite concert
The event attended by 12.3 million virtual users in real-time
Most people still consider virtual reality to be alien technology. Descriptive metaphors are used in the world of the metaverse since most of us comprehend the outcome but not the mechanics of it. Since emerging technologies in the metaverse generate "new perceptions, explanations, and inventions" (Schön, 1993), the metaverse is an excellent example of a generative metaphor.
Similar to the Internet of Things (IoT) products, The metaverse is also a metaphor of agency (Cila et al., 2017) since it revolutionizes the way we communicate and behave with each other and interact with the world around us. Companies are leveraging the Pass-through API to come up with life-like virtual avatars for the creation of natural virtual communications and to match real-time expressions and the field of view of individuals. New technologies in VR will enable users to be "truly present" with one another by enabling them to interact in a new way (Mark Zuckerberg’s Vision for Socializing in the Metaverse, 2021). Figure 3 below shows a simulation (CNBC, 2021) of Zuckerberg fencing with an online partner in the proposed Metaverse. The complexity of the environment will make designing a spatial space around it a daunting task.
Figure 3. Mark Zuckerberg squaring off with an online partner
Mark Zuckerberg is seen here fencing in the “Metaverse” with an Olympic gold medal fencer
Designers across disciplines need to understand the opportunities that Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality bring across, and how human-centered approaches can help them adapt to the affordances of new technologies. Tech companies across the board are setting the foundational technologies for the future of this next generation of computing. The time is now for designers to invest or establish themselves in this space.
Since spatial computing offers countless possibilities, we should endeavour to meet user needs by adopting a human-centric approach. It's one of the key elements of being a designer: understanding the context and then tailoring the content to fit the context, from the time to the different zones of the space, for a user, for many users. A spatial experience in the same location can change multiple times throughout the day depending on who is experiencing it. This realm of technology needs to be accessible by all irrespective of their backgrounds.
Learning about spatial design exposes you to new perspectives, new collaborations, new technologies, and new environments. We will need to create narratives for environments that break normal conventions and stereotypes. To design content and interactions, designers will need to experiment with the 'sandbox' approach, where the users make decisions based on cues and prompts provided throughout the virtual world. Since we cannot predict the users' behavior and interaction with the artifacts in the metaverse, the design decisions will have to take into account the environment surrounding the metaverse. It will be beneficial to let users assist in co-creating the metaverse since this is a realm where they can actively be a part.
Immersive metaverses will rely on community co-creation. It takes a great deal of effort to make it possible for anyone to design, build, and use metaverse artifacts and environments. Our very own, Indiana University, Bloomington, conducted a Luddy Pre-College Summer Program on July 1, 2021. It was a five-day virtual camp for high school students designed to explore how the Luddy community functions and uses computational tools in engineering, science, and social settings. Figure 4 shows the 3D model of Luddy Hall (Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, 2021) that was imported into the Minetest game engine, an open-source, Minecraft-style program in which students could work together to improve and have a virtual walkthrough of the Luddy Hall. Students were able to import their monumental 3D designs or build and program electronics, doorways, corridors, classrooms.
Figure 4.
Virtual Luddy Hall
A 3D model of the Luddy Hall where students could co-create the building
"Collaborative play" games like Minecraft, which allow users to contribute to the game world by breaking and rearranging blocks and crafting new tools and components out of the natural resources present in the world, are great examples of community co-creation. In a research paper from Acharya and Wardrip-Fruin (2019), researchers gain insights into how new kinds of narratives driven by players can be crafted by studying these worlds. Often, these kinds of games involve the player collaborating on manipulating game worlds, and more generally taking on roles of authorship. These co-created worlds can be used as blueprints for building the metaverse. In addition, player interactions with the game could help determine how the metaverse should operate.
The entire interaction between the user and the items in the metaverse is through an interaction loop between the metaverse and the users (Shah, 2021). Figure 5 shows how this interaction looks diagrammatically.
Figure 5. Core interaction loop
This loop shows how the basic interactions occur in the metaverse
The user enters the metaverse by putting on a wearable device which acts as an actuation interface for entry. Any action performed by the user in the real world is recreated in the metaverse. The elements in the metaverse react to it and feedback a stream to the user for them to comprehend the action that was performed. There is also the matter of 'affordances' that a metaverse artifact could have since in the digital world elements can have more than usual affordances.
Don Norman in his book mentioned that affordances “provide strong clues to the operation of things” (Norman, 2013). Technology is a mediational means for users to interact with objects around them. Users use technology to directly/ indirectly affect the objects around them. It is the nature of an object to provide the affordance of its purpose innately. The affordances of metaverse items are much more expansive than those of objects in the real world, which makes them challenging to design. The field of human-computer interaction is recognizing the need for a broader notion of affordances to accommodate distinctively human uses of interactive technologies (Kaptelinin & Nardi, 2012).
In the metaverse, it is imperative to have intuitive designs. A great design allows you to immediately and accurately see how something can be used. These days, after years of having the time to get used to it, a button has the affordance to be clicked. To replicate a similar effect on an object in the metaverse is going to take time. However, we can identify the different affordances by looking at the notions of sequential and nested affordances, as well as the degree and structure of instrumental affordances. Several markets will be disrupted with the introduction of spatial computing. And designers have new opportunities to find solutions to problems in the metaverse by observing the interactions in the metaverse.
There will be disruption in several industries as a result of a shift to spatial computing.One of the major industries that is going to be revolutionized by adopting the metaverse is the E-commerce industry. In the metaverse, The entire process of product discovery through personalization and fulfilment is performed within moments all without you having to get up from the couch. Companies have already begun embracing the future. Nike, for example, has already trademarked its swoosh logo in the virtual world. It aims to make virtual clothing and shoes so that you can look ‘cool’ in the metaverse. They have also initiated ‘cryptokicks’ which are blockchain-based sneakers.
Another industry that is going to be drastically affected is the world of entertainment. In the dystopian future, maybe instead of having actors play a part in a movie, we can be the lead and experience the story in real-time. The Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge experience in Disneyland is an example of immersive storytelling that is a vision of the future.
In this paper, I have discussed the next era of computing-The Metaverse. I have shed light on how critical it is to have a human-centered approach to design the space. I have tried to make efforts to educate the reader about the world of spatial computing and tried to build excitement by discussing the possibilities of this new realm and how users will get to participate in the internet rather than just viewing it. The possibilities of the Metaverse are limitless. The limit is what one can imagine. I am very excited to be a part of this new age of technology and looking forward to how companies and businesses are going to adopt this into their business model.
The Metaverse is often defined as being something that is both online and collaborative, as well as immersive. Some consider AR and 2D experiences less immersive, engaging, or realistic, so they disqualify them from the category. There's a good chance the Metaverse will eventually contain all forms of 3D immersive collaborative environments, whether they're open or not. The Metaverse, according to many, ought to be open and cross-platform, allowing users to interact without restrictions. What is your take on the Metaverse? Are you optimistic about its future?
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