January 18, 2023
By: TucsonBizz Staff Writer
TucsonBizz is a division of Sofvue, LLC.
Printed with permission of Data Titan, Sofvue LLC
Virtual Reality has moved beyond it’s “buzzword” status and is now experiencing some real, practical uses. In fact, 23% of all manufacturing and automotive companies are already building virtual reality apps, and that’s just one market segment.
To further drive this point, META is planning to test money-making tools for its virtual reality platform Horizon Worlds. It will do so by allowing selected users across the US to sell virtual fashion accessories and assets.
The same study indicates that VR will reach 70.2 million Internet users in the US by 2023. While the technology is still in its infancy, it's clear that it will profoundly impact how people interact with computers and each other. The question you must now answer is finding out whether virtual reality is a technology that fits into your business technology stack.
Let’s discuss a few salient points regarding VR, VR Apps, and if your company has plans to deploy VR in your business, and how to choose an app development company who can bring your project to fruition.
Virtual reality is a technology that allows you to experience and interact with a three-dimensional environment as though you were actually there. If you watched any of the YouTube videos and people running into walls and tripping over the family dog, that’s people using VR.
For business purposes, a virtual reality mobile app is an application that uses the computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional, real-time environment. You can use it on your phone for entertainment purposes, such as playing games or watching movies, or for more practical purposes, such as performing surgery or touring a real estate property.
Most business-related VR mobile app consists of three main modules:
✅ One or more API’s that handle all of the VR functionality
✅ Middleware, which helps with things like processing inputs from the user
✅ A runtime environment (such as Android or iOS) that provides access to hardware resources such as accelerometers and cameras.
How to Build a Virtual Reality App?
When investing in a VR app for your business, you want to have a broad understanding of the steps involved with the development. To simplify, we’ve creating a quick-reference list provided below.
Step#1 Create the Business Case
The first thing you should do is determine the need for your app. Ask yourself:
✅ How could a VR mobile app automate my business?
✅ Is there measurable ROI?
✅ What business problem does having a VR mobile app solve?
Step#2 Develop the Concept for Your Mobile App
The next step is defining your mobile app's business case, or uses for the app. This includes ensuring the app is designed with the target audience in mind. And to do that, you will need to research and understand what your target audience wants, how they use their smartphones, and what features would be most beneficial.
For example, if you are a manufacturing company who produces PCB’s, what aspects of the workload can take advantage of VR? Is it something that will be used by engineering, then the plant floor, or maybe a combination of both. This is accomplished through a series of steps that culminate into a Master Scope Document (MSD) or Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
Step#3 Select a Target Platform for the Virtual Reality App
There are many platforms available for the output of your VR technology. If you want to build a VR app, you will need to select a target platform. The same goes for any other type of VR app; they are available on all major platforms like Google Cardboard, Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR.
Choose the platform that fits your needs best and start building!
Step#4 Consider the Level of Immersion You Want to Achieve
The level of immersion can vary based on the type of VR app under consideration. A high level of immersion will help your employees feel like they are actually working in the company’s production environment and may require more processing power from individual devices.
A low level of immersion can be achieved by using less processing power but still giving users a sense that they are in an environment they recognize, for example, using 2D versus 3D imaging.
It is also worth mentioning that immersion levels depend on the type of application that you're building and how it will be used.
For instance, if your application is meant to visualize data or display information, having a low level of immersion is acceptable. However, if it's meant for complex production, manufacturing, engineering and/or architectural purposes, offering a high level of immersion is necessary.
Step#5 Choose Content to Build Upon
When considering “Content”, there are basically three types to choose from. These include:
➤ Short-form content: This kind of content consists of short pieces of information that are produced in a way that keeps users engaged and wanting more. It is appropriate for apps that want users to spend shorter periods of time in virtual worlds.
➤ Medium-form content: This type of content includes processes and “User Journeys” or training in the range of 20 minutes to an hour long, which means that users will need to commit to a longer period of time, something that must be considered.
➤ Longer-form content: As its name implies, this format contains content that extend past a one-hour or medium-format duration. Long-form content has been around since the dawn of television but has recently seen a resurgence thanks to streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, some of its content now output and available using VR headsets!
Additionally, you must ensure that the content of your VR is flexible enough to run on multiple devices, operating systems and platforms.
Step#6 Use a VR Headset to Visualize Your Own Virtual World
For VR mobile apps, it is crucial to test the app on different mobile platforms to validate functionality across numerous devices. At their most basic level, VR apps should be compatible with all major VR headsets, such as Google Cardboard, Oculus Rift, HTCVive and Sony PlayStation VR.
Step#7 Plan Out Your Storyboard
Storyboards are the visual representation of your app, and in my view, the single most important part of any project. They're a tool for you to visualize the flow of your app and help you plan how experiences will unfold for users. Storyboards are also great tools for communicating with other team members, especially in the early stages of development.
For example, suppose you're working on an AR system where the user has to use their finger to navigate their phone screen in a VR environment so everyone can see how the phone and AR maps work together.
VR App Development Cost
The costs of developing a VR app depend on its features, the platforms you want to develop, and the type of app you build. Costs vary widely depending on the type of mobile VR technology you are wanting to create. When you consider that we have developed apps for as little as $20K, and others for over $1MM, you quickly realize that costs are directly proportional to features, time and VR complexity.
There are plenty of other things that can affect the VR app development cost, such as:
➤ The nature and complexity of your project
➤ The time frame within which you need to build your VR application
➤ The expertise of developers working on your project
➤ The number of architects, BA’s, UI/UX designers, PM’s, programmers, UAT staff and BETA testers needed to deploy your solution
➤ Types of platforms and backend services required to run your application.
TucsonBizz: Your Go-to VR App Development Company in Tucson
TucsonBizz, a division of Sofvue, LLC and our technology division, Data Titan, designs and develops all sorts of mobile, SaaS and application technology, including VR solutions for companies in Tucson, Arizona. We are a team of experienced developers and designers working on virtual and augmented reality projects over the past five years.
We specialize in building immersive 3D experiences for businesses in manufacturing, logistics, film, healthcare, real estate, and automotive, to name a few. Our expertise lies in creating interactive virtual environments that allow users across multiple environments to explore products like cars or houses before buying them.
To learn more, visit us at TucsonBizz.com or call 623-845-2747.
You may also like to read: Five Ways AR And VR Are Transforming The Real Estate Sector
