Start building your metaverse on-ramps

Welcome to the world of immersive experiences

A Google search for “metaverse” yields about a quarter of a billion results. It’s a hot topic, no doubt. But what is it? Like anything new, the definition can be slippery. But there are some consistent themes.

Immersive

The metaverse is immersive. Participants become human-brained avatars in a believable digital context: a spaceship, an educational setting, a football pitch, a doctor’s office, chatting with Dr. Strange

Technology driven

The immersion is made possible by the heavy use of computing technology to create extended reality (XR, AR, VR) and connectivity. The new perception of reality is more convincing, multi-dimensional, and higher-resolution than what we have so far, like movies, 2D screens, sound, or haptic input

Emerging pros and cons

As with any new disruptive tools, there are plenty of goods and bads, and whether the pros outweigh the cons. The metaverse is no different. There’s still a lot to develop, test, and learn. Early adopters will have to work to avoid unintended consequences

Take steps toward a metaverse that matters

Some sectors, like gaming and entertainment, are ahead of the game with strategies for activating the metaverse. These areas will see a natural evolution in designing software and experiences that take advantage of cutting edge connectivity, analytics, sensors, and software. Full speed ahead!

What about the rest of us? All the other companies – comprising the majority of the economy – should take a more thoughtful approach. These organizations need to develop a strategy of building on-ramps to the metaverse that matter to the business.

How to build an on-ramp to the metaverse

Experiments are valuable, but don’t spend the money to build something for the sake of creating. Keep a sharp eye on some business goals. What process or experience are you trying to improve? How can the metaverse help do that? If there aren’t good enough answers, think again about the investment.

For most of the Global 2000, it’s not yet time to bet the brand on the metaverse. But the potential can’t be ignored. Now is the time to experiment and learn. Pick the strategic areas. Pilot wisely and quickly. Be ready to either pull the plug or scale carefully if the experiment yields something that can move beyond a prototype.

“Build it and they will come” may work for some things, but it’s a risky bet in enterprise tech. Keep in mind the business process or experience to improve. Keep asking the essential question: Will the humans in the value chain want to use the solution? What is the value this solution will offer?

New interfaces, platforms, sensors, and software are driving higher expectations for the kinds of experiences that banks, retailers, insurers, or pharma companies can provide to customers and workers. Now is the perfect time to begin building on-ramps to a metaverse that matters for your business.

Ascendion has a deep background of experience design, software engineering, cloud enablement, data engineering, and gaming that can help jump-start your journey. It’s true that nobody has a complete and perfect roadmap yet, but you don’t need to wait. Let’s get going!