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Though we spend ample time examining consumer-based XR endpoints, greater near-term impact is seen in the enterprise. This includes brands that use AR to promote products in greater dimension (B2B2C) and industrial enterprises that streamline their own operations (B2B).
These industrial endpoints include visual support in areas like assembly and maintenance. The idea is that AR’s line-of-sight orientation can guide front-line workers. Compared to the “mental mapping” they must do with 2D instructions, visual support makes them more effective.
And with VR, employee training and onboarding can be elevated through immersive sequences that boost experiential learning and memory recall. It also scales given that far-flung employees can get the same quality training, versus costly travel for senior training staff.
Altogether, there are micro and macro benefits to enterprise XR. The above micro-efficiencies add up to worthwhile bottom-line impact when deployed at scale. Macro benefits include lessening job strain and closing the “skills gap,” which can preserve institutional knowledge.
But how is this materializing today and who’s realizing enterprise XR benefits? Our research arm ARtillery Intelligence tackled these questions in a recent report. It joins our report excerpt series, with the latest below on CannonDesign’s efforts to virtualize design collaboration.
Action & Accountability
CannonDesign is an architectural and engineering firm that designs construction projects across 18 global locations. Given the collaborative nature of architecture, its geographic distribution raised logistical challenges, such as teleconferencing’s inability to accommodate 3D design.
So to overcome that challenge, firms like CannonDesign end up bankrolling executive travel to meet in person, which equates to meaningful costs in both travel and time. This pain point led CannonDesign to seek virtual collaboration options and to meet a goal of 15 percent less travel.
So it launched a program involving HTC VIVE Pro headsets and NVIDIA’s Holodeck software. This combination allowed CannonDesign to collaborate virtually with colleagues and clients. This included multi-user virtual meetings, where 3D assets could be shared and evaluated.
These assets included early-stage design concepts and prototypes as well as later-stage project updates. Designs could be altered on the fly for effective feedback loops. Virtual sessions also documented interactions to maintain project momentum, action items, and accountability.
Critical Variables
So what were the results? Through its VR program, CannonDesign’s project times were reduced by 35 percent, given the ability to meet virtually in a streamlined way. This adds up to a meaningful financial impact, given the high stakes of large-scale engineering and construction projects.
As for strategic takeaways, it’s notable that, while most VR case studies are about training, CannonDesign’s work validates a different use case: collaboration. It also demonstrates the breadth of VR-applicable industries – in this case, architecture, engineering, & construction (AEC).
CannonDesign’s work is also a lesson in aligning technology with goals. For example, its long sessions (design meetings) and subject matter (3D models) compelled high-end hardware and software. Both factors were accommodated by VIVE Pro’s ergonomics and high resolution.
Similarly, NVIDIA’s Quadro GPUs handled high poly counts for detailed 3D models, including key elements for design meetings, such as object textures and lighting. These are critical variables in the world of industrial design to simulate real-world conditions and visualize realistic endpoints.
We’ll pause there and pick things up in the next case study with more enterprise XR best practices and tactical takeaways…