Interactive Experiences: Exploring the Latest Trends

18th March 2021 Industry Insights

The interactive industry is continually evolving. The supporting technology, hardware, and software are constantly advancing to allow for the production of more detailed renders, higher resolution displays, and more immersive experiences. Interactive content is becoming more popular than ever, therefore it is important that the supporting technology progresses to allow the industry to improve and grow to higher potentials.

At Random42, we believe it is crucial to continuously look for the best technology and software to take our experiences to the next level. Pushing boundaries and increasing our awareness of what is currently available allows our digital content to excel to greater heights. Combining cutting-edge technology with our team of experts plays a key role in remaining at the forefront of the current digital transformation.

Cascading 3D model devices designed by Random42

The current global pandemic has rapidly accelerated the ongoing digital transformation of the pharma and healthcare industries. Whilst individuals around the world are being encouraged to stay at home and follow strict social distancing guidelines, new challenges have arisen in staying connected and communicating successfully. There is a pressing need for permanent solutions for improved digital communications to facilitate an increasing shift away from in-person meetings and conferences to virtual interactions. The extraordinary growth in digital communications as a result of the pandemic is expected to continue. Useful systems have been implemented that adapt to our current and future needs, opening up new opportunities and improving global accessibility.

The greater need for high-quality, interactive, and engaging digital experiences, has accelerated industry progression and has also increased the overall awareness of the various digital solutions that are currently available. As more businesses digitalize their approach, the opportunities for different teams to creatively collaborate increase. This greater demand for more creative, engaging, and interactive digital assets has allowed the industry to trial new types of communications and has pushed the pharma and healthcare industries further into the digital world.

Below we explore the latest interactive trends and how our in-house production team is utilizing the latest software and technology to produce some of the most impactful interactive experiences in the medical animation industry…

Interactive experiences

Web-based interactive experiences allow for ease of communication in remote settings, a perfect tool in an age of digital learning. As many companies completely digitalize their approach, web-based interactive experiences have become increasingly popular as a means of providing interactive content that enhances storytelling capabilities.

Our team can create purpose-built interactive websites and apps that seamlessly integrate eye-catching scientific visuals with an intuitive user interface. This allows the user to interact with content, promoting deeper engagement and understanding.

At Random42, we are excited about the growing demand for web-based interactive experiences, and we are eager to get involved with more of this style of project over the next year.

Medical Company website designed by Random42

Virtual reality

Virtual Reality (VR) has become a very popular and powerful learning tool, due to the highly engaging interactive element it offers. VR offers a simulated digital experience that uses a VR headset to create a stimulated real-world experience. Using VR as an educational tool allows for better understanding and more appealing learning. VR has elevated our scientific storytelling to a whole new level. The immersive format, combined with this state-of-the-art technology, brings intricate and highly complex messages to life, allowing the user to gain a deeper understanding of the science behind a medical product or disease area.

VR is continuously evolving and pushing the limits of what we understand about the world around us. VR experiences are more immersive than ever before with the rise in the quality of new headsets. Our production team has trialed and tested all the leading VR headsets through countless high-quality projects for our clients and our continued research into the latest VR technology. Our projects harness the power of VR technology to produce some of the most impactful experiences in the medical animation industry, pushing VR into the mainstream market.

This year we will be using the Oculus Quest 2, which is new to the market, having only launched in October 2020. The Oculus Quest 2 is Oculus’ most advanced all-in-one VR system yet. Lightweight, comfortable, and powerful enough to run remarkably detailed VR experiences, the Oculus Quest 2 is the best VR headset that Oculus has created. This hardware will take our VR projects to the next level with its high-resolution display and mighty-fast processor.

Virtual reality experience designed by Random42

Gamification in virtual reality

Gamification in VR is picking up speed as a beneficial training solution. By integrating such gamification elements, we can maximize engagement and convey the animation’s key information memorably. A blend of these tools can help take learning to the next level.

We explore gamification in VR with our projects, as it can be a great instrument to build a variety of new options and behaviors. Blending VR and gamification is an exciting approach to medical education that provides a more intuitive user experience that is proven to provide increased interactivity.

Fully immersive experience
Maximum user experience
Metrics evaluation and leader boards
Competitive edge to the experience
Enhanced interactivity

Ligand Binding VR App designed by Random42

Augmented reality

Augmented Reality (AR) apps use visual recognition technology, where the user simply points their smart device at a tracker or flat surface, activating an experience, such as interactive animations, holograms, 3D models, and games. AR brings traditional marketing materials to life with digital content that is easily accessed by downloading an app to activate content.

This year, our aim with AR is to improve our tracking capabilities. AR experiences are growing in popularity as they are a great means of bringing a wide variety of content to life. Improved performance of smartphones and tablets, in particular in newer iPad tablets, allows for high-performance AR to be accessed. LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) scanning is a revolutionary method for augmented reality apps, which will increase depth perception – from capturing objects the size of your hand to tracking surroundings the size of your living room. The 2020 Apple iPad Pro has this innovative sensor, and Apple is now bringing a LiDAR scanner to the new iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max. At Random42, we are taking advantage of this technology to allow for faster and better object placing and location tracking, which will strengthen our AR capabilities.

Finally, we are making our AR experiences more immersive by adopting technology to integrate people with virtual objects and introducing human movement into an AR experience. People occlusion allows for people and virtual objects to mix within an AR experience, making it more realistic and immersive than ever before. These advancements improve user interactivity and tracking, offering fascinating prospects for the future of AR.

3D model of a molecule designed by Random42

Augmented reality environment with 3D heart model designed by Random42

Mixed reality

The next wave of headsets is in the mixed reality space. Pushed by technology giants, this field is growing and maturing at a rapid pace. By blending physical, virtual, and augmented realities, a user can interact with virtual objects anchored in the real world, removing the old conventions of traditional 2D displays and interaction methods. This opens up a whole new world for interactive experiences, ranging from education and training to entertainment.

At Random42, we are closely following the development of these new technologies, developing internal experimentations and experiences for exclusive, prototype mixed reality platforms, such as, Microsoft HoloLens and will be ready to offer practical applications in the not-so-distant future.