Multiexperience, the second trend that Gartner lists as one of its Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2020 is all about replacing technology-literate people with people-literate technology. It focuses on the immersive experience that consists of augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), multichannel human-machine interfaces, and sensing technologies.
Essentially, computers will be able to communicate with users via multisensory and multitouchpoint interfaces (e.g., wearables and advanced computer sensors). According to Forbes, David Cearley, vice president and Gartner Fellow said, “The burden of translating intent will move from the user to the computer. This ability to communicate with users across many human senses will provide a richer environment for delivering nuanced information.”
A Gartner report defines an immersive experience as a simulation of a real-life scenario and environment that gives “users the visualization and the actionable information to practice operations and to interact with virtual people or objects.” This could range from AR overlays on a smartphone to fully immersive VR environments.
Gartner also mentions that “VR provides a 3D environment that surrounds a user and responds to an individual’s actions in a natural way” using an “immersive head-mounted display (HMD) that blocks the user’s entire field of vision.” Smartphones are the perfect platform for mobile VR and AR.
So how does it all work? As the smartphone’s screen transforms into a “magic window,” AR takes a real-world video experience and overlays graphics on top of it. Furthermore, “AR superimposes contextual information that blends augmented data on top of real-world objects (such as hidden wiring superimposed on an image of a wall).” This is considered an easy and cost-effective approach.
In addition to immersive experience, conversational platforms are also a major focus. A high-level design model and execution engine will enable the interaction between the user and the machine. Similar to immersive experience, conversational platforms will include input/output mechanisms to make full use of sight, taste, smell and touch to allow for a multisensory interaction. We see this being done by leading companies such as Google and Amazon, as they’re adding screens and cameras to their smart speakers. The downside of conversational platforms is the lack of natural conversational flow. The structure only allows for one-directional communication. However, vendors realize this and are working to make the process more robust.
Google and Amazon are not the only companies that are incorporating multiexperience into their services. Domino’s Pizza is already ahead of the game. Domino’s Pizza Tracker allows customers to keep track of their order in real time, from the moment that the order is placed to the time it’s delivered or ready for pick up. With the Domino’s Pizza Tracker wheel, customers know when their pizza is cooking, as well as the order status. Domino’s GPS Driver Tracker allows customers to monitor the delivery process so they’re prepared for delivery.
So what does this all mean for you? In the near future – as soon as 2028 – user experience will evolve to become what’s called an ambient experience, which is both multisensory and multimodal. Your company should incorporate multiexperience into day-to-day business dealings via conversational apps like voice assistants and chatbots, immersive apps, wearables apps, and much more.
Give Stefanini a call today to see how you can utilize multiexperience technology at your own company. We – and our omni-channel virtual assistant, Sophie – are here to help!
References:
- Gartner: Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2020
- Gartner: Gartner Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2020
- Forbes: Gartner Announces Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends For 2020
- Domino’s: Domino’s Pizza Tracker
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