News
How call centers can reimagine customer experiences with Google Cloud Conversational AI | Google Cloud Blog
Contact Center AI has slowly been integrated into customer service centers across the US, providing a more human-like experience within automated phone systems. A recent update by Google adds a new feature that lets customers authenticate with their voice. We can see a lot of use cases for this in adding a layer of security to AR/VR experiences, if used properly. The technology doesn't have to be limited to call centers, and we'd be curious to see what can be done with it when applied to immersive storytelling.
Experiences
Experience an Original Story of Nightmares and Terror with ‘Paranormal Activity: The Lost Soul,’ Out Now on Oculus Quest
Paranormal Activity is arguably one of the most successful horror franchises to date, both in scaring people and at the box office (19,761 percent return on investment). Recently it made its VR debut, and after getting several updates is worth giving a try to kick off this year’s spooky season.
NASA - First Woman
Going to the moon is a pretty big deal, and the upcoming Artemis missons will see the first woman and person of color as part of the team landing on the moon. This year NASA released a free graphic novel with XR capabilities to give a preview of some of the technology and tactics we'll actually see in the upcoming mission. Minus the autonomous robot.
Reading
I Want My Daughter to Live in a Better Metaverse | WIRED
In making the Metaverse the potential for harm is surprisingly high, and in this article we have a few concerns and considerations worth thinking about. Bridging worlds is at the heart of an ideal future, avoiding fragmentation of all of the virtual world that exist and those not yet created.
Business
Extended Reality (XR) Market Demand and Research Insights by 2030
Market research and projections are always useful, especially when they concern the much underappreciated realm of XR. Even if you choose not to invest in the full report the summary contains an impressive number of insights and data that can be referenced. A bit pricey, but we may need to look into getting a copy to help us learn more about the landscape and deeper insights into setting our work apart from the competition.
Research
Online Survey Software | Qualtrics Survey Solutions
A Reddit user is conducting an online survey to help evaluate the system of sharing early design concepts to users using traditional design methods versus XR techniques. Presented in two different mediums (a 2D gallery and 3D VR/AR simulation), participating can help a researcher gain more data on the benefits of XR as a means of more effective engagement and communication.
Learning
UX Design for XR applications and Immersive Storytelling
Circuit Stream released one of their XR development learning sessions recently and though we haven't mentioned them in the newsletter before we're a fan of their platform and the talent they attract to provide instruction and inspiration. This was, by far, one of the best sessions on XR I've seen, full of insights that could help elevate your XR productions.
One More Thing
Project Guideline: 誰もが自由に、思うままに走れるために。
When we think about AR and VR the ability to "see" usually involves taking in information with our eyes, but for people with visual impairments seeing can involve more than one sense. Using machine learning and audio cues researchers created an AR experience that allows runners with visual impairments, some of whom are totally blind, to race around a track. Line following robots have been around for decades, but seeing the concept broadened to allow make more running more inclusive is worthy of this week's One More Thing.
Commentary
Accessibility is generally at the forefront of our minds when we're design experiences, usually making them better for everyone when we get it right. This week's One More Thing almost made this a one link week for the newsletter as we were were blown away by it. The idea or technology is not new, and some readers who studied engineering may have even built something similar. But lie any good idea, taking what we already know how to do and making it work in a way that enhances the lives of others is worthy of standing on its own. We're not saying skip all of the other links this week, but maybe start this one from the bottom up.
Also, we've started featuring surveys and and ongoing research projects looking for participation. If you have time please consider participating if you're in the demographic for the study. Generally a study's findings are only as good as the number and diversity of the people it gets data from. So if you're invested in the future of technology, which we know you are, definitely be on the lookout for these opportunities in this and future issues.
Thank you for reading and subscribing, and we'll see you next week!
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