The Internet is transforming rapidly, and it’s evident even for those who’re not into web development. If you’re an average enjoyer of digital entertainment and visit the Internet only for fun, most probably, you don’t care if websites you visit everyday use React or Vue.js for the user interface. Groundbreaking features these frameworks provide access to may not be part of your interest either. However, if you’re surfing the world wide web for quite some time, you could not help but notice the grandiose changes.
Back in the days, the Internet was nothing more than text and images.Then, JavaScript allowed users to interact with websites which felt like a completely new experience. Today, the web development technologies are so advanced that cloud applications can compete in functionality with those you need to install on your computer. The good news is that the digital evolution doesn’t seem to stop at the current level. Nowadays, there’s a lot of news about the so-called metaverse and its potential impact on the virtual part of our lives. This recent phenomenon will not only bring new possibilities but also raise new challenges. Today, we’ll consider how the metaverse will change web development in the near future.
Virtual Reality as the Next Web Standard
Let’s find out more about this mysterious metaverse everybody’s talking about. In a few words, we can describe it as a place where virtual reality and the Internet collide. The metaverse provides users with access to a digital environment where everybody can interact with each other via their avatars. All means of communication that became traditional for the Internet, such as texting or voice messaging, are available in the metaverse. What’s more interesting is the ability to access it using virtual reality. With a VR headset, you can visit a virtual classroom, mall, office, or a concert, depending on your needs.
The presence of real people and ability to communicate with them allowed to expand the scope of VR devices. With metaverse, there are new horizons both for business and development companies. First of all, metaverse enables increased immersion. Accessing websites via the screen of your computer or smartphone will feel like nothing compared to virtual reality experience. In the metaverse, people will be able to interact with a lifelike environment, which will open new self-expression opportunities for development and design teams.
Using possibilities that metaverse provides can also help businesses to increase user engagement. What is the closest real-life shopping experience the eCommerce platform has ever provided? Probably, a 3D model of the product that you could rotate to view from different angles. In the metaverse, you can, for example, take a digital representation of a vase you always wanted to buy in your hands, estimate its actual size more accurately, and even adjust how it will look in your room. And who knows, maybe after a few years high-tech gloves for virtual reality will allow users to feel the texture of silk sheets before buying them.
Besides extended flexibility in terms of product presentation, metaverse can also enable increased accessibility. Nowadays, any responsible development company provides the possibility of enabling accessibility features in its digital products to help people with disabilities access them with no boundaries. The metaverse and virtual reality can expand the number of new online users who previously faced some inconveniences while working on the web.
Specifics of Web Development in a Metaverse World
The metaverse and possibilities it brings may open new horizons for businesses and users, but development companies will have to learn some new tricks. Digital content we contribute via the Internet is in most cases displayed on flat surfaces of laptop and smartphone screens. The metaverse approach implies the use of virtual reality. It means that users will access content “from within,” which requires the use of different development tools and techniques.
The first thing that comes to mind when we speak about development for the metaverse is the wide use of digital content in 3D format. It’s not something completely new for web development companies to be fair. Tools like WebGL, WebVR, and WebAR can help to enrich web apps not only with some 3D graphics but also with possibilities that virtual reality and augmented reality provide. The metaverse, however, requires something more than a pinch of 3D graphics intended to help web applications draw users’ attention more efficiently.
Development for the metaverse indeed requires the use of completely different approaches, but like in any other case, you must start by validating the idea you have. It’s essential not to get involved in this area out of curiosity to try your hand at something new. Users are interested in what the metaverse is going to be in the future, so don’t be surprised when your project receives tons of attention and criticism. Therefore, it’s better to ensure that your multiverse project has a rational purpose and has the potential to fill a specific market niche.
The next step is to design the metaspace where your project will exist and evolve. A virtual office must look and feel different from a virtual shoe store. Rebuilding and redesigning a metaspace is easier compared to real-world premises, but highly qualified development and design teams aren’t something that comes cheap as well. Users with virtual reality devices will “visit” your metaspace to access services you offer, so consider it your showcase and make it as cozy and welcoming as possible.
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Creating a digital environment to which users can connect is not enough. On top of that, the integration layer must exist. Its main purpose is to ensure that nothing stands between the end user and the multiverse. There may be dozens of simultaneous connections, and your development team must do their best to make the digital experience of your users as comfortable as possible. People must be able to communicate freely, with no lags or disconnections. If your metaverse project’s primary goal is to help users work together, the integration layer becomes even more important. Sensitive data leakage or inability of users to fulfill their obligations to business partners because of technical problems can seriously harm your reputation.
Conclusions
The metaverse is a pretty young technology, and it’s pretty hard to predict where it will develop in five or ten years. What we can say for sure is that today the Internet is ready for a new round of the digital revolution. The connection speed and computing power an average user can get access to is sufficient reason to believe that at some point accessing the metaverse will become nothing more than a daily routine.
If you’re looking for a web development team that is aware of the latest industry trends, feel free to contact us.