The year 2021 brought a number of new technologies to our everyday lives and business activities. Other already existing solutions, like remote work, became more popular than ever. Finally, things like the NFT boom and the announcement of the metaverse are only a few examples of how our world is irreversibly changing. Let’s look at a few interesting technology trends that are destined to grow in 2022 and the coming years.
In this article we will:
- Discuss 4 exciting 2022 technology trends.
- Talk about their driving factors and the role they will play in the upcoming year.
- Suggest ways of capitalizing on these future technology predictions.
Metaverse platforms
We’ve already talked about the metaverse quite a bit in our blog. For those of you who still aren’t sure what it means, you could say it’s the new generation of the internet. An immersive 3D experience that uses contemporary and new technologies such as AR & VR. It’s also virtual world platforms like Decentraland or Roblox. Confusing? If you’d like to get a more detailed description, check out our article.
What’s driving their popularity
It’s no surprise that global giants like Microsoft or Meta will play a huge role in the 2022 technology trends. They’re investing heavily in the metaverse with Meta raising 10 billion USD to develop it. Needless to say, these investments are accompanied by a large marketing budget. And that drives the popularity of the metaverse as a whole.
What’s more, people are becoming interested in immersive technologies in general. This includes VR and AR, which are both an inherent part of the metaverse plans. And it’s not just the technology that grabs the attention of consumers. Millions of people play Roblox and Fortnite, which have almost all the features of a metaverse.
Business opportunities in the metaverse
What are the ways your company can benefit from this technology trend? Broadly speaking, virtually anything you can do in the physical world can be done in the metaverse. Oftentimes it can be done better, more efficiently and at a lower cost. Business opportunities in the metaverse include creating branded spaces and assets as well as selling virtual goods.
Large companies are already investing in their piece of land in the existing platforms. For example, Atari has built an impressive branded space in Decentraland. Other companies have already successfully launched products only available in the virtual world. An interesting example is Gucci – the company sells virtual clothes in Roblox. Lots of people are ready to pay real money to dress up their avatars.
If you’re thinking about introducing your business to the metaverse you can choose two main routes. You can develop your own metaverse platform, either with the intention for it to be your main product or a way of achieving other goals. Like creating an immersive shopping experience. The other way is to use already existing platforms. Whichever course you choose, our team of skilled consultants, developers and designers would be happy to help.
VR becoming more mainstream
According to Statista the global market of VR & AR was worth more than 30 billion USD in 2021 and is projected to grow to almost 60 billion in 2022. That’s twice the amount which shows a truly promising future of this technology trend. Other predictions found on Statista say that in 2023 the number of VR/AR devices shipped worldwide will increase to almost 70 million.
Why is it becoming more popular?
Let’s take a closer look at 3 reasons why virtual reality is becoming mainstream. First, the technology is better than when it was first introduced. Many people had mixed feelings about VR because of the relatively poor resolution, refresh rates and overall graphics quality. Technological improvements like adaptive resolution changed that. VR is also more accessible. The hardware is getting better, cheaper and there is more to choose from.
Finally, more and more people are aware of the potential of VR and its practical applications. As you may have already guessed, increasing awareness of virtual reality and related fields translates into its rising popularity. And as people who believe in the future of VR, we’re making an effort to have our share in spreading knowledge about it.
Business applications of virtual reality
We, at 4Experience, believe that any company in any industry can take advantage of VR. Gaming is the most popular, but that’s only part of our competencies. There is a huge demand for virtual reality in medicine, for example. VR training for employees is also becoming very popular. Check out an interesting project we carried out for our client.
How is VR helping companies all around the world? By creating life-like training environments, enhancing overall training effectiveness, enabling remote employees to work together in real-time. Virtual reality solutions are also creating more effective training solutions and enhancing product design and development. All this makes them second on our list of technology trends to look out for in 2022.
Remote working and virtual workrooms
Before 2019 rather few people worked from home. It was the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 that pushed businesses to switch to remote working. So why are we listing remote work among 2022 technology trends? We believe this is the year it becomes a standard as people start to realize how many advantages it has.
In a study conducted by Owl Labs, 79% of respondents said they are more productive working remotely and 78% feel less stressed. Of course, not everyone can work from home. The mentioned study was carried out mostly among office workers. Law enforcement, sportsmen, construction workers and many more won’t have this opportunity. But wherever it’s possible, it’s worth implementing.
Remote working after the pandemic
Positive results of many similar reports are driving employers to keep work from home or hybrid models for good. Two separate reports (by Owl Labs and Microsoft) concluded that at least 70% of workers would like to continue working from home after the pandemic. What’s more, nearly half of the respondents would agree to a 5% pay cut in order to work remotely at least part-time. And a third consider quitting their job if they don’t have that possibility.
How they can help your company excel in its field
Allowing your employees to work from home means you can hire people from remote locations, effectively expanding your workforce. As we already mentioned, many people prefer not to have to commute to work every day. Meeting their expectations can strengthen your position as a desired employer.
There are challenges though. Coordination, collaboration and communication can all be affected by remote working. Employees might also miss simple social interactions that take place every day in the office. This is where virtual workrooms come to the rescue. They enable good integration of remote employees as well as conducting meetings and presentations more engagingly and efficiently than standard video conferencing.
Immersive gaming
Immersive games are another technology trend to look out for in 2022. They’re essentially video games that take players to a 3D digital environment and make them sink into it. Times are changing, so a screen and simple controller are no longer enough most of the time. That’s why immersive game developers use new, engaging technologies like virtual reality, augmented reality or full body tracking.
Why will they be popular?
In the past, people were skeptical about immersive games that made use of VR and similar tech. Some criticized the rough graphic design which was mainly a hardware issue. Others pointed out other technological shortcomings, like the finite space you could move in, or not enough advanced input devices. But technology is advancing rapidly. For example, omnidirectional treadmills for VR are already here.
But how can immersive gaming help out my business?
Chances are your company doesn’t develop games. However, you can still take advantage of this technology trend in 2022. How? Through gamification. People love competition and are naturally drawn to games, so they can be a really valuable tool for creative marketing ideas and driving your company’s sales.
For example, you could create a game in which users could test a virtual equivalent of your product. With that idea in mind, we developed an interesting project for Ford Motor Company. But gamification is a lot more versatile than that. It can be also used to enhance employee training, push consumers to perform a specific action, or increase productivity.
Get ahead of your competitors now!
We’re positive that these 2022 technology trends will change the world around us now and in the following years. All of them have the potential to take your business to the next level. Be the first in your field to promote yourself in the metaverse. Engage your customers through gamification and virtual reality solutions. Draw in excellent staff from all around the world with virtual workrooms. Be a pioneer and go down in history!
Choose 4Experience for your next project
With us, your project will reach its full potential. We believe in transparency and building sincere relationships based on trust. We put a strong emphasis on the functionality, interface, graphic design and performance. But our primary goal is always to support our clients in being the best in their field. Your success is our top priority. This is what one of our clients said:
Their work ethic and overall quality impressed us, but they were just fantastic overall to work with. Friendly, smart, and understood what we wanted to accomplish. – Amy Waterman, Project Lead & Digital Producer at The VIA Agency.
Feel free to schedule a free 60-minute consultation with one of our experts. We’ll talk about the opportunities and address any concerns you may have. Our consultants will suggest solutions and outline how they can be implemented. Let’s talk!
