Paul Hupfeld
Jennifer Snay
Max Mittelstädt
Support team members to visualise their complex thoughts through building blocks.
Idea, Research, Concept, Development
Teams in large companies are increasingly working together from different locations, which means they are confronted with the challenges of physical distance and a lack of personal interaction. BuiltUp looks at a future scenario in which collaboration between remote and decentralised teams could look very different from today. In this scenario, teams can work together in virtual spaces with the help of virtual reality headsets. The technology enables them to interact in a new way despite the distance between them and to immerse themselves intensively in their work. The aim of this project is to improve collaboration through joint reflection at regular meetings, known as retrospectives, in virtual space. BuiltUp provides the teams with a tool that enables them to model their ideas of past and future collaboration with virtual building blocks and present them visually. Building together helps teams to communicate their ideas clearly and develop a shared understanding. It also encourages creativity and helps to reduce complex ideas to the essentials. This is what the future of work could look like:
A team coach moderates the team meeting. The first task relates to the impressions of the individuals. They present their reflections on the collaboration or the project in an individual model and explain them to each other. This allows each person to contribute equally.
Next, the team is given a task to link the individual reflections to a joint project. In response, they build a joint model and this creates a clear understanding. Based on this, they can improve their collaboration.
Building blocks can be created at any time via the permanently displayed hotbar and arranged together in the virtual space. Building is made possible by natural hand gestures: - By bringing the thumb and index finger of one hand together, individual building blocks can be grabbed. - Grabbed building blocks can be freely moved and rotated in space by moving the hands. - If you grab a model with both hands, all connected building blocks can be moved and rotated together. (Concept) - You can use both hands to draw connections between two points in the model. Similar to building blocks, connecting pieces can be placed and then freely deformed by grabbing both ends. (Concept)
The prototype developed with the support of Honda R&D Europe (Deutschland) GmbH shows initial potential for promoting a playful and understandable exchange. It forms a basis for extensive testing and further development. The ability to save and reuse built models is particularly promising.