Principia Metaversum: Principles to humanise Metaverse experiences

Principia Metaversum - I came up with that. Sounds woke dunnit? Sounds like a literary thirst-trap. We've heard of design principles. Well this is it; my thoughts on service & experience design of Virtual Experiences. And I wanted to, as I've referenced so often, pay tribute to the great work set out in the book Experience Economy (Joe Pine). More precisely, truly a tribute to Commedia dell'arte.

We took in a play "LKY" at Marina Bay Sands last month - the very enchanting work of local talents Adrian Pang and Kit Chan - portraying Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew & mother Kwa Geok Choo respectively. Imagine the moment we arrive at the MBS theater, or when we attend any concerts, talks, or plays. We felt anticipation building up as we walked through the warmly lit entryway, ticket in hand - actually in phone with current times (QR code). Ascending the stairs to the box (or dress circle, stalls..), the doors swing open to reveal the grand scale of the space, the murmuring audience, and the spot-lit stage. As you find your seat, the lights dim, the curtains part, and the opening music swells. You hear the orchestra making their final preparations. The show is about to begin.

Events are defined by their rituals, their sense of mounting thrill and narrative progression. From the moment you approach the entrance all the way until the final applause dies down, a well-designed theater will impart a sense of shared occasion and purpose. Historically, people are great at building these venues — spaces that enhance the quality of our communal experiences — in the physical world. And it is just as possible to build them in a virtual one.

Alternatively, just as riveting an experience: imagine that you are walking inside the Roman Colosseum in 72 A.D. and can explore every brick of the structure that took nine years to build but still partly stands in the center of Rome.

You are not in Italy. Instead, you are Meta's latest $1,599 wearing Oculus goggles! That is the kind of experience that mixed reality (virtual reality and augmented reality) or the metaverse can offer - we can quicly see how for architects, this technology (the Metaverse, 3D Internet) is a game changer. For Experience Architects, mixed reality or XR allows us the flexibility to immerse themselves inside buildings not only to explore how they were constructed but also design their own environments and contribute to that virtual world.

With?virtual reality (VR)?steadily entering the mainstream — just this month, news broke on two new headsets from?Meta?and?Sony, both set to broaden VR adoption — it’s vital that designers create virtual worlds and experiences that acknowledge our humanity. Nay, that's not enuf. That recognises the primacy of the Human Experience. We experience designers are on the cusp of what I call InfiniteJourneys, intertwined lifejourneys full of enmeshed and immersive virtual experiences. We are in the Exponential Age, and Pablo Picasso described it best: "..what you can imagine is real." If there was a micdrop moment back then - this would be it. I hope to share field experiences expiscated over the years, learnings and research in this new exciting area (3D Internet), sometimes extrapolating, other times walking-the-future-back. We've to accept that this is the next chapter in service and experience design. If you're interested to find out more what's service and experience design, I have it here : https://tinyurl.com/mrbvrevh

Take inspiration from the real world, but note the differences

The fundamentals of virtual event spaces (and by inference, virtual experiences) are similar to those of real-life venues and the holistic human experience, and so is the process of designing them. That's after all, what an Experience Architect does - if it isn't obvious yet! Often, our design team brings in experience architects, service * experience designers to ensure we learn from real-world principles.?Then there's experience engineering, the long-tails, the DevOps, the folks that 'make things happen'. Without this microcosm, there's no value creation, and no accrual of benefits. Nada. I often describe these teams, or rather parts of the life-journeys - upstream and downstream.

There are considerations specific to the audience, the program, and the context — it’s just that this audience is made up of avatars and the context is virtual - as many Experience Architects would profess. As reality blurs between the 3D & IRL worlds, there will be increasing need for skillsets that are able to design both real and virtual performance experiences. It's not binary - but we do know humans will spend an increasing % of their time in Virtual Worlds. The reason is simple.. as valuecreation gets super-cycled in the Metaverse, more will make the transition (meaning: spend more time). We also see the creation of new job-types e.g. experience architects, designers, engineers. The world will have increasing opportunity to work with features from a concert hall in Berlin or a theater in Buenos Aires, sidestep physical limitations, and create virtual places that feel both fantastical and authentic. Phantasmagoria.

Bear in mind that?virtual spaces?do have different demands, however. We’ve found that virtual audience members require more space between seats to feel comfortable. And sight lines from seats to stage must allow for the fact that audience members are simultaneously in the room together, as well as around the world in separate physical environments. This means that avatars often move more often, and more erratically, than they would in a physical venue. There's yet dissonance in design elements between the IRL and meta worlds for us to solve for. To ensure that other audience members aren’t distracted, we typically make each seating tier higher than it would be in a physical space, with the seats more spread out. It's the small details as such that completes the HX overall. The fact is, small glitches in the Matrix or indeed any Virtual World (Neo experiences?déjà vu?when a black cat passes him twice.) gives away quite a lot - ie authenticity of the immersive/ intended experience. And that's why it's more authentic, shall we say, Roblox's pixelated interface vs what was promised/ intended with other platforms (leaving users with a less immersive experience).

Be specific with your material choices

Creating convincing?virtual (HX) experiences is an exercise in world-building. Whether an environment is wholly fantastical or based in reality, that it feels “true” is an essential factor in its immersive potential.?

We experience virtual worlds up close, which means that every environment requires attention to fine detail. If you ask me, that's where the promise still falls short (today).. but we will eventually, very quickly, get it right. The platforms that are doing well are authentically pixelated (think RBLX); the ones that promised life-life representation are faltering (think Horizon Worlds, whom avatars only recently managed 'legs'). From the kind of stone chosen to the cut and grain of wood — think mahogany or red cedar, not just “brown wood” — a high level of craftsmanship will make your space feel like a destination to which people will want to return. Fascinating stuff really ; how much work and GPU power goes into rendering a single second, minute of Toy Story the animated movie - where the light-sources, how many light-sources are coming from, how shadows are cast. And all this in real-time. Else the experience, not just the visuals, become jagged/ pixelated, hampering the authenticity, believability of the story-telling..

Design virtual spaces with audio in mind?

The most convincing virtual reality spaces are multisensory, so a thoughtful use of audio elements is key to placing the audience inside a new world. There are many techniques to consider, including environmental sound, spatially anchored sound, audio feedback to reward specific interactions, or a mix of each.?

Regardless of your approach, effective spatial audio adds tangibility to a space while deepening the impact of compelling visuals. The sound of distant lapping waves, or a seagull passing overhead, can bring a space to life, so consider how your landscape contributes to your soundscape.??

Empathise with your audience

Virtual reality poses a new challenge to experience architects: When you can make anything, how do you choose where to begin?

An initial discovery phase is key to deepening understanding of an experiential purpose and intended audience - the intent and payload e.g. how do you want your guests to feel? How will the exprerience (interaction, service) physicalised virtually in a space, serve them? Or surprise -> delight them? The aim is for artists,?user experience/ user interface (UX/UI)?designers, and technologists to be open to inspiration at this stage while keeping the audience and the event’s purpose top of mind. We've seen alot of these new 'service offerings' as of end 2020 e.g. trade promo, exhibitions and full-scale events in the Metaverse.

At this point, it’s also critical to establish constraints and define what the environment is?not. We often use Miro and Pinterest boards to highlight elements to avoid — low ceilings, strip lighting, flashy chrome — so that we don’t build something generic or characterless. This process helps the creative team eliminate ambiguity, build a shared design vocabulary, and air out any assumptions. There are many other ways to socialise and syndicate this creative decision-making process (which converges and diverges as per DT).

Think of your virtual event as a story - meta-storytelling!

With each virtual reality event, we are telling a story with a beginning and an end, much like a real-life performance. To ensure attendees feel that narrative progression, it’s helpful to provide cues inspired by screenwriting fundamentals, like the classic three-act structure. Again, a tributary piece de resistance to Commedia dell'arte - Italians you.

he start of each event, for example, should serve as your first act, one that’s characterized by scene-setting and exposition. Welcome your guests in, show them around, and provide initial information that inspires them to explore more. It’s important to guide attendees — many of whom might be new to virtual reality — gently from the start before escalating complexity.?Experience orchestration is, as we say, part art, part science. If you're interested to delve deeper into everything service and experience design, I go into a far amount of detail here: https://tinyurl.com/4mr47p2s

That rising action should culminate in the event’s keynote presentation or performance, generating a different audience response. It’s also vital that guests understand what to do when the main event ends by providing clear next steps for exiting the space and moving on.

Humanity will remain vital even as technology evolves

Like most technology, virtual reality is evolving exceptionally quickly. Today’s designers face the task of optimizing experiences around the constraints of current headsets while also preparing for the next evolution. The future will present even greater challenges.?Artificial intelligence?(AI), for example, will soon generate not just concept art but entire virtual worlds.

Designing spaces with storytelling at their heart will continue to be a human differentiator. As we venture out into the?metaverse, let’s not forget our humanity. As I often say, our focus must be to install the primacy of the Human Experience..