For many businesses globally, the last few months have been spent looking at what technologies are needed for the new normal. VR and AR are at the top of the list but how best to assess and evaluate?
A just-launched Australian government report from The Productivity Commission reveals Australians are expected to keep working remotely after the pandemic subsidies with hybrid working the most likely format.
For many businesses globally, the last few months, in particular, have been spent looking at what technologies are needed for the new normal, and invariably virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality(AR) are at the top of the list.
But what criteria should be followed when evaluating VR/AR technology for your organisation?
Hybrid/WFH Technology kept the wheels turning – and often made them faster
There is no denying WFH technologies played a key role in keeping many businesses’ work moving forward over the last 18mths.
The US-based National Bureau of Economic Research found the widespread adoption of WFH technology increased productivity in WFH compared to the office:
The model suggests the widespread adoption of WFH technology increased the productivity of working from home relative to the productivity of working in the office by 46 percent between the onset and the end of the pandemic.
Source: The work-from-home technology boon. April 2021
No surprise then that those businesses that had already beefed up their digital adoption pre-pandemic ensured that were well placed to take advantage of the ‘virtual first’ environment,
Our results indicate that firms with higher digital resilience, as measured through our pre-pandemic WFH index, performed significantly better in general, and in non-essential industries in particular, where WFH feasibility was necessary to continue operation.
Source: Digital Resilience: How Work-From-Home Feasibility Affects Firm Performance. March 2021
Questions to guide VR/AR tech assessment
Many businesses have spent the last 18+mths experimenting with WFH digital and collaboration technologies but the use of VR/AR had not been widespread pre-pandemic. When remote working took off in earnest many organizations suddenly looked at VR/AR through a new lens to solve mission-critical problems like customer engagement and collaboration; employee collaboration; employee onboarding and workplace training.
But in terms of criteria to follow when evaluating technologies including VR/AR for business, we like this article from Vera Solutions, which we have adapted for assessing VR/AR tech. See below:
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Can you think of any other questions that would be helpful to ask? Share your thoughts.
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