The metaverse is the latest crypto-based technology trend that’s sweeping the globe. Many people are seeing this as the beginning of web 3.0, a new era of the internet. There’s a lot that people don’t understand about the metaverse – and many different features that can be utilized by businesses.
A basic understanding of the concept is that our digital lives will become more immersive. Instead of static web pages, we will navigate the internet through avatars in a digital world. Think The Sims but you can go into stores and make purchases online. It’s already evident that businesses are gearing up for the metaverse, but there’s one thing, in particular, that’s set to change dramatically: product development.
How exactly will the change happen? Let’s find out…
More accurate product mockups
Right now, the product development cycle is pretty efficient. We are blessed with a wealth of technology to draw up excellent product designs and mockups. These days, people use things like a SAAS whiteboard to create really detailed digital drawings of what a product might look like. In the metaverse, these images will be taken and turned three-dimensional. VR and AR are two key elements of the metaverse, and we will see product developers creating 3D designs that people can move around and see from different angles. It allows for designs to provide more accurate testing products or final products.
Improved product feedback
In the initial stages of product development, feedback needs to be sought from potential customers. You must understand if your product will be wanted before you go to the effort of manufacturing it. Again, using virtual or augmented reality technology on the internet can help you massively. Here, it can be used to get better feedback from customers during the design phases. They can interact with the 3D digital versions of your products, getting a closer look at them and how they work. As such, they provide more detailed feedback that you can use to improve the designs and keep testing. It should mean that you’re able to cut the costs of product development by only manufacturing things that have been tested and proven to be popular!
Better collaboration
Currently, we already have some great collaborative tools at our disposal. We can hold video calls and use cloud software to work with all members of a team from anywhere in the world. The metaverse will take this one step further by providing better collaboration than ever before. Instead of being in a video call with people, you can be in virtual conference rooms, working at a virtual table together. It brings people much closer, meaning that the whole process goes smoother when you’re dealing with remote teams.
Overall, the metaverse is going to change the product development process quite dramatically. However, the good news for businesses is that it will be a positive change. Hopefully, it can lead to shorter development cycles that are way more cost-effective. Who knows what else will change when the technology is here, but it’s exciting to speculate.
