AR / VR: The Challenges and The Impact
In this blog post, I will be talking about the impact of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality on the world, as well as Ethical Challenges that rise when developing an application that utilizes the technology and considerations to take when creating an immersive experience.
Virtual Reality is a technology that creates immersive experiences by putting the user in a virtual space, controlling an avatar either they have created or is premade by the team who created the experience. Augmented Reality is a technology that simply enhances the real world by placing computer generated objects and information in real time, on the area and objects you are looking at with your device. Now here is where the differences come to light. With VR, we have to use this complex headset with heavy goggles over our eyes that completely obscure our vision. However with AR, so far the technology that has been used include Smart Glasses, Handheld Devices (like smartphones), Heads Up Display (HUDs), and Holographic Display. It is fact that both forms of technology are beginning to lead the future for Entertainment, Education and Careers. But with innovation in a particular field, comes risks, factors and challenges to face. Questions pertaining to ethics and design of the application come to mind when developing something for either AR and VR. Questions such as: How accessible can we make this application? How impactful can we make this experience? Why should customers use this app?
VR and AR has taken the world by storm by paving the way to a new kind of application development, as well as entertainment and marketing. But like all creations, it also bore fruit to own troubles and challenges to face, something I will be talking about in the following paragraph.
Accessibility
One of the topics an AR / VR developer should consider when creating immersive experiences is accessibility, which is to make something accessible for all people regardless of their disability or impairment. It is important to take it into consideration because of how our society has adopted technology into life itself now, to the point where laws have been created to regulate accessibility on a website or product. Documentation on Accessibility from www.mozilla.com states:
Accessibility is the right thing to do. Providing accessible sites is part of the law in some countries, which can open up some significant markets that otherwise would not be able to use your services or buy your products.
Building accessible sites benefit everyone:
Semantic HTML, which improves accessibility, also improves SEO, making your site more findable.
Caring about accessibility demonstrates good ethics and morals, which improves your public image.
Other good practices that improve accessibility also make your site more usable by other groups, such as mobile phone users or those on low network speed. In fact, everyone can benefit from many such improvements.
Did we mention it is also the law in some places?
Augmented and Virtual Reality brings the virtual space much closer to us than ever before with how powerful and immersive it can be, so accessibility becomes the utmost concern. What kind of VR game will this be? What colors should be used for the AR app? What kind of options should be available for consumers with disabilities or impairments? I think a way developers could address the accessibility topic is looking into the experiences people had with bad AR / VR apps for example. Developers could also follow along with the age old method of having the Public test the beta builds of the project, taking feedback and recommendations from all people. Though I do think the most important step I recommend a developer should follow, in regards to accessibility, is to allow as many options as needed to accommodate all people, regardless of their disability or impairment.
Accessibility plays a heavy role in the development cycle of an application, especially in the AR / VR industry. With considerate and competent design that allows all people to enjoy the experience comfortably, AR and VR will spearhead the future for many industries that adopt the technology.
Social Isolation
Another topic that I believe should be addressed by AR / VR developers is Social Isolation, a state of complete or near-complete lack of contact between a person and society. According to https://www.cdc.gov/, the following article states:
Health Risks of Loneliness
Although it’s hard to measure social isolation and loneliness precisely, there is strong evidence that many adults aged 50 and older are socially isolated or lonely in ways that put their health at risk. Recent studies found that:
Social isolation significantly increased a person’s risk of premature death from all causes, a risk that may rival those of smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity.1
Social isolation was associated with about a 50% percent increased risk of dementia.1
Poor social relationships (characterized by social isolation or loneliness) was associated with a 29% increased risk of heart disease and a 32% increased risk of stroke.1
Loneliness was associated with higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide.
Loneliness among heart failure patients was associated with a nearly 4 times increased risk of death, 68% increased risk of hospitalization, and 57% increased risk of emergency department visits.1
With loneliness being the resulting action from being socially isolated, studies show the health risks that rise. I think the way developers can address this particular topic is to promote socializing with other people. For example, let’s say a developer creates a VR video game intended for social interaction through it’s multiplayer component. The virtual world that players would engage in could provide advice and tips for lonely people playing the video game, subtly and cleverly addressing the issue while also helping consumers who are playing the game to tackle their loneliness. Maybe another way this issue could be addressed is through a fictional story where the protagonist is battling against social isolation, overcoming it in the end. That way, people have a character to relate to and learn from over the course of the game.
Being disconnected from other individuals and society has proven over the years that it yields risks to one’s mental and physical health. With AR and VR bringing fantasy and the digital world closer to the palms of our hands, I believe that it has the power to help isolated people feel more confident and comfortable to interact with others.
Privacy
The matter of one’s privacy is another ethical challenge that I believe developers should both address and consider when working on their projects. After all, over the years privacy has been a controversial topic as it involves the collection of personal data, like biometrics or physical location for example. With AR and VR bringing forth a new era in technology, it can potentially have the power to capture more personal data than we think and would require regulations to be put in place accordingly. As https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2018/4/vr-and-ar-the-ethical-challenges-ahead states about the matter of privacy:
VR, AR, and MR open an entirely new frontier of capturing data related to students’ physical movements and, eventually through biometrics, capturing their emotional states. As immersive technology evolves — especially with mind control interfaces — our physical location, gaze, and even our emotions may well be the new battleground for privacy.
When it comes to addressing this issue, I believe developers should first consider what kinds of data their product should collect and how much personal data do they really need. Could the consumer stay anonymous when using the application? Could the user choose to decline having their face and body captured? What would be the point in both keeping and utilizing a person’s personal data when using this application? These are questions a developer might want to keep in mind for example. Another way developers could handle this issue is by being honest and forward with both why and how they will be using the user’s data. It’s too common to have a privacy policy written in very technical and professional talk, making it a chore to read through sometimes. Maybe AR / VR developers could explain the policy in a more natural, talkative tone for users using their application. That way it hopefully bears more trust and comfort between the user and the developer.
There are many ethical challenges a AR/ VR developer could face during the creation of their product, whether they be minor or major. And then there are the laws and rules to follow too implemented by companies and countries for example. But despite the possible obstacles, we can still appreciate the invention of Virtual and Augmented Reality and also recognize the revolution it started upon it’s advancement in technology. If not already, AR and VR will become much more than Marketing Tools and Entertainment in the near future. I believe that if developers practice common courtesy and creating the best user experience possible, we might see VR and AR going as far as helping people through their health issues and everyday life at home and at work — paving way for a new way of life that balances the Virtual and Real World perfectly.
