VR and AR are redefining teamwork. And our workplace itself

The way we work together is changing. From new work practices to a new world context, we’re heading towards a new professional collaboration framework. With digital transformation on the rise, shared office spaces booming, and the latest digital technology trends coming to help us stay connected, how will the future of teamwork look like in the months and years to come? How will our pandemic-driven discoveries help us shape the future of work?  

Imagination has always been one of humanity's most extraordinary features. However, our ability to communicate what cannot be experienced requires a lot more than a creative mind. While verbal, written, and visual communication can give abstract concepts some grounding for understanding, it still relies on the other person's interpretation of the idea. After all, as the adage says, we only understand what we know.

Take group decision-making at work, for instance. Especially when we work with diverse teams, being on the same page requires tools and processes that can provide a common language to everyone involved. The need for a framework that can facilitate problem-solving while being time-efficient is not only a nice-to-have but a must.

Digital Transformation and hybrid work for teams

Digital transformation in the workplace is here to stay. And its advancement has become imminent since Covid-19. The restructuring and digitalization of workplaces following Covid-19 to meet the new pandemic-related needs of workers has become extremely relevant, especially for the months and years to come. Here are four reasons why:‍

Digitalization on the rise

The economic challenges and the need for teams to work together while being apart have accelerated the digital transformation of many companies. For many, the impact and consequences of the “Digitize or Die” have become critical.

The need for ‘phygital’ joint solutions

The upcoming on-site and remote workplaces will have to reflect both the physical and digital needs of workers. These new answers would need to come as a joint effort between real estate, HR, and technology. The one-plan-fits-all solution is no longer valid.

New workplace structures

The new work environments will require systems that safeguard health while facilitating collaboration. The office design, amenities, and management standards will have to be reorganized to fulfill these requirements.
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Real Estate, reinvented

Real estate leaders are re-evaluating their long-term office space strategies due to a rising preference for coworking spaces. They’re shifting their focus towards a more differentiated digital customer experience and the need for creating digitally enabled services for tenants and users instead.
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New Work. New Framework

Many industries are embracing VR as a useful communication tool to tackle their design challenges. One of these industries is Architecture & Spatial Planning. VR is helping architects and planners around the world reach team agreements faster by offering tools that can make abstract easier to grasp, saving decision-making time in the process.

We had the opportunity to see this improvement for ourselves through a VR project we developed for infrastructure and workplace design consultant M.O.O.CON. To optimize decision-making processes, planners and architects needed a solution to improve communication between stakeholders and planners before seeing the first architectural visualizations. This way, essential changes would happen at a very early stage of the process, reducing iterations and achieving a faster implementation.
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Until now, the planning process took place during B2B workshops with a series of paper cards on a printed floor plan. Each card represented a planning module, such as work areas, focus rooms, and open spaces. M.O.O.CON then gathered the outcome by taking pictures and notes and sent them to architects to create visualizations. These were the first images of the room that the clients got to see after the planning workshop.
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VR for office planning

The need for an additional level of communication led to the birth of a new way of planning shared spaces – a collaborative  VR and AR space planning tool called ARVUS. In a nutshell, ARVUS works as a universal translator of abstract concepts. It allows teams to plan office space in digital, analog, or a combination of both forms. It unifies each outcome into a virtual space from which participants can observe, discuss, and rapidly adapt their planning. 

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“People being on the same page was yesterday - today, we bring them to the same space!” - Axel Dietrich, CEO vrisch

Inside the VR space, users can move around, choose different visualization modes, and make changes in real-time from a smartphone or tablet. Teams can either work together in the same physical space or collaborate remotely and still have access to one shared virtual environment. 

The future of office planning is phygital

A ‘phygital’ approach to design thinking can massively improve communication and promote diversity. Giving team members the freedom to participate using a piece of paper, a pen, a touch screen, or completely immerse themselves using a headset, VR tools like ARVUS unify the physical and digital worlds, opening a space for dialog that fosters inclusion and understanding.

VR tools can contribute to a bright future of workplaces by creating more functional, efficient, and human-centered office spaces. How? By providing planners with engaging and collaborative environments that advocate for participation, creativity, and confidence in decision-making. 

A great office starts with excellent planning. And engaging communication tech such as VR can deliver the tools to bring them to life. Shall we get started?

Effective communication is much more than sharing information. Especially when it comes to teamwork, finding the right tools to understand one another is crucial. And we can help you with that. We combine immersive technologies and applied entertainment to bring innovators like you VR and AR solutions that will keep your audience interested, focused, and engaged. Curious to hear more? Contact us!