6 min read · Jun 26, 2024
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The Future of UI UX Design services in the Metaverse 2024, With over 4.8 billion users currently on the internet worldwide, the digital world as we know it continues to adapt to accommodate modern forms of interaction and communication across the sphere. social.
As e-commerce grows and social platforms multiply, it’s clear that a digitally native world is just around the corner. With the demand for all things digital constantly growing, the demand for innovation in technology and design goes hand in hand.
As virtual evolution continues to become more prominent thanks to new forms of VR/AR technology revolutionizing the online sphere, user experience has become essential as we form our relationship with new technology. As new software continues to expand the capabilities of digital immersion, it’s no surprise that UX has become a hot topic for VR experts.
As we see consumers shift from users to gamers as the era of the metaverse begins, traditional forms of marketing continue to become redundant. From content design and 3D tools to new communication interfaces that promote immersion, read on to discover how the metaverse could change UX design like never before.
What is the metaverse?
So what is the metaverse? We’ve all heard the term on tech platforms and during Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta reveal, but what does this really mean for the UX designers who will need to pave the way for the future of effective online marketing?
The term metaverse was first mentioned in the 1992 science fiction novel, Snow Crash, written by Neal Stephson. Using the word metaverse to describe his image of a 3D world in which users could exist virtually, he predicted that technology would one day allow us to live in a real-time online environment in which we could change, grow and interact.
The metaverse is currently defined as “something that is always active, exists in real time, is a fully functioning, self-contained universe, and contains user-generated content.”
As we begin this shift from consumers to players in an online environment dominated by user-generated content, it is clear that the metaverse will continue to transform consumer attitudes and demand more active UX design across several sectors.
From e-commerce and the corporate market to gaming and entertainment, it’s clear that the metaverse expects more from marketers, but how much could this revolutionize the industry?
How will the future of marketing change?
For savvy marketers, the metaverse could be a game-changer when it comes to gaining exposure and increasing online revenue. As virtual reality continues to penetrate a number of sectors around the world, the advertising potential of the metaverse is endless.
The key here is to prioritize new forms of immersive design and smart consumer content that not only can be easily inserted into the virtual world, but encourages consumers to interact and communicate with it.
Especially for the Gen Z demographic, where 87% of young users are already engaging with current metaverse platforms like Fortnite from the comfort of their smartphones, the benefits quickly outweigh the costs for businesses looking to gain exposure. In fact, providing an immersive experience within the metaverse that allows a player to connect and interact with a virtual version of a product or service will result in higher conversion rates than in the real world.
For example, London fashion agency, Dimension Studio , doubled its profits in 2021 as a result of experimenting with new forms of UX marketing in the metaverse. It is a user experience focused company that specializes in the future of volumetric content and creating immersive experiences within the metaverse and is one of the early pioneers in the future of 3D forms of UX design.
Partnering with Balenciaga’s Afterworld game, they created a new form of virtual production that allowed a player to step onto a platform within a virtual environment and physically try on Balenciaga pieces on their avatars.
Using new forms of 3D UX design to their advantage, venturing into the metaverse has generated them $6.5 million in revenue as a result.
Image source: Balenciaga’s Afterworld/Dimension Studio
Commenting on the success, Metaverse expert Cathy Hackl stated that the future of marketing and advertising must be thought in 3D.
“Today’s professionals need to start thinking in 3D because tomorrow’s professionals will already be thinking in 3D,” Hackl said in a recent interview with Vogue. “Agencies will need to partner with people who have experience in game design and game theory. “They will need those people who not only know how to create pretty things, but also know how to make things work in a playful way within virtual worlds.”
What does this mean for UX designers?
It is clear that UX designers will have to change their mindset in the wake of the metaverse. Instead of designing for passive consumption, the future will focus on active design that encourages consumers to act on their creation and continues to blur the lines between real and virtual .
Change from users to players
Designers will need to think of consumers as players, rather than simply users of technology.
To improve the user experience on online platforms, UX designers must create a fully immersive experience that allows the player to live and interact with a virtual world, rather than simply experiencing it.
Immersive design will need to be applied to all forms of UX, even outside of metaverse world building. This also applies to website design, content creation, and ads. As the line between virtual and real continues to blur, designers’ decisions must focus on inserting a product, service or advertising within the metaverse seamlessly. Consumers are much more likely to interact with UX design that feels natural, authentic, and consumer-created.
As technology continues to make metaverse players increasingly smarter. It’s time for modern designers and marketers to get smarter.
How to improve UX design for the metaverse
So how can you start preparing for metaverse design? A completely virtual world may be just around the corner, but UX designers still have time to adapt. These are some of the adjustments you can make to your UX initiative as metaverse design continues to revolutionize the industry.
Start telling stories with your design
The metaverse is massive and is only expected to expand in the coming years. With a large following comes a large number of experiences across a diverse consumer group. The key for UX designers is to find a way to connect all of these user experiences to create a compelling story that engages the audience among competitors.
So, it’s time to start prioritizing storytelling within your content. To gain awareness and exposure, telling a story with your design will not only immerse your consumers, but also draw them into a product or service, for a more natural, consumer-led experience with your brand.
Better yet, learn how to integrate your UX design into your existing virtual stories. Find a way to promote or advertise using an existing narrative within the metaverse.
For example, on gaming platforms like Roboblox, skateboard brand Vans introduced a skatepark into the metaverse, which existed purely for users to interact with during their own virtual narratives. After 48 million visitors increased the brand’s revenue outside of the metaverse, story integration can be considered a key tactic for UX designers.
sit back and watch
The metaverse is still relatively new, so a smart move for new UX designers will be to just sit back and watch.
Take a closer look at your competitors and start user testing. Performing an audit of your current engagement statistics, audience characteristics, and site analytics using tools like Google Analytics is a great foundation for success.
Designers need to see how audiences currently interact with the metaverse and understand how their products will behave in the new virtual environment.
Incorporation of 3D tools and virtual reality design
In order to effectively design for the metaverse, UX professionals are moving towards new 3D modeling alternatives like Tvori and SketchUp that will improve modeling and prototyping in a 3D virtual world.
It is also important for UX and UI designers to become more equipped with the new forms of VR/AR technology on the market. The use of virtual and augmented reality elements within daily life will allow designers to put themselves in the shoes of their consumers and visualize the image they want to create to achieve successful immersion.
The future of the metaverse
Did you know that 58 million people in the US currently engage with at least one form of AR/VR technology at least once a month?
As demand for online virtual immersion continues to grow in line with the metaverse, traditional forms of marketing are no longer enough. Interactive experiences and communication are now imperative if you want to stay on top of competitors, and UI UX design services is at the forefront of this.
