Hollaboration (envisioning the future of hybrid meetings)

Abstract: This project aims to envision the future of virtual collaboration in the year 2030. Global trends show that ever since the Covid-19 pandemic, hybrid work has become a standard in almost all job sectors, making virtual collaboration crucial for the success of hybrid teams. Although the option to work from home partially or completely has well documented outcomes of higher employee productivity and wellbeing, poorly managed hybrid teams could lead to feelings of disconnection, distrust, and exclusion. Team leaders have had to learn to accommodate the combinations of on-site, off-site, and fully remote employees. After speaking to the individuals working within hybrid teams and ones managing them, we identified the virtual conferencing tools, which hybrid teams depend on for communication, to be key areas for innovation in the coming years. Virtual conferencing technology at its current state fails to capture communication cues like eye-contact, body language, spatial positioning, and layered dialogue, all of which work together to create the fluidity of real-life interactions. At its best, the absence of these cues lead to disengagement or fatigue. At its worst, they can lead to distrust and become a roadblock for creative collaboration. We determined that the use of holograms would allow virtual calls to regain the feeling of face-to-face interactions. Evaluating the technological innovations in augmented reality wearables and volumetric imaging technology, we proposed a concept for a holographic conferencing system that would capture individuals in 3D and place them in their teammates’ rooms with the use of augmented reality headsets. For our final outcome, we designed a personal webcam for those calling from home, a larger conference camera for the team members calling in from the office, and an augmented reality headset that would be used in both scenarios.