First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the University of the Enterprise (UADE) for this opportunity. It’s an exciting moment to embark on a career in Interactive Product Design and Virtual Reality, and I am pleased to share some of my reflections on this field.

My professional journey began with studies in graphic design, but I quickly realized the importance of programming and became self-taught in this area. Throughout my career, I worked as a freelance developer and designer, and I now hold the position of Creative Technologist at a studio. But what exactly is a Creative Technologist? In essence, a Creative Technologist is a professional who combines creative and technical skills to carry out innovative projects in the digital space. In my case, this means working at the intersection of technology and design to create unique and engaging experiences for users.

Today, companies and brands are eager to establish their presence in the metaverse, but we must be aware that the metaverse is not yet fully defined. What we currently have are a series of disparate platforms, with the promise of increased interoperability in the future. However, brands have everyday needs, from establishing their presence to generating engagement, building communities, and increasing sales. Naturally, there is tension between the long-term expectations of the field and what can be achieved today. Additionally, there is a lack of understanding among brands about these new platforms.

This is where the designer comes into play. This professional must have a deep understanding of the industry, including technical complexities, current trends, audience behavior patterns, and the specific codes of each platform. Furthermore, they must be able to collaborate closely with other roles, such as Art Directors, game designers, conceptual artists, 3D artists, and developers. The designer also needs a broad frame of reference, spanning from film and art to architecture and interior design, along with a solid technical foundation. Such profiles are essential for driving innovation and demanding excellence from platforms in terms of visual, technical, and conceptual aspects.

Therefore, I believe this is an excellent moment to embark on this career path. There is a clear demand in the market, and it’s also a critical time to integrate design into these roles. In my opinion, design has moved away from its role as an innovator in recent times and is at risk of becoming merely a generator of aesthetics or visual identities. Early integration of design into this industry is also about reclaiming the essence of design as innovation, as a practice that can lead the development of an industry.

What I refer to as Extended Reality (XR) experiences encompass a wide and diverse set of platforms. Traditionally, XR is used as an umbrella term to refer to Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), and Virtual Reality (VR). I’m particularly interested in including other digital socialization spaces in this definition, especially those currently referred to as Virtual Worlds. Platforms like Roblox, Fortnite, or Minecraft, where there is coexistence and socialization in a shared digital space.

The reason I group these experiences together is that they all share a radical shift in how we perceive digital information and how we interact with it. Although spatial organization of information is not new in fields like graphic design and architecture, what has changed in recent decades is our ability to design and inhabit virtual spaces. Since the ’90s, with the emergence of 3D graphics in video games, we have been perfecting the ability to create virtual spaces. In recent years, we have made significant strides in our ability to inhabit these spaces. Not even Neal Stephenson saw it coming:

“I didn’t see video games coming when I wrote Snow Crash. I thought that the killer app for computer graphics would be something more akin to TV. But then along came DOOM and generations of games in its wake. That’s what made 3D graphics cheap enough to reach a mass audience. Thanks to games, billions of people are now comfortable navigating 3D environments on flat 2D screens. The UIs that they’ve mastered (e.g. WASD + mouse) are not what most science fiction writers would have predicted. But that’s how path dependency in tech works. (…) But modern engines help devs manage the challenges of building for multiple targets. My expectation is that a lot of Metaverse content will be built for screens (where the market is) while keeping options open for the future growth of affordable [AR/VR] headsets.”

This has a significant impact on how brands and companies connect with their audiences and promote products and services. Think about the revolution we’ve experienced with mobile devices and the brand experiences they offer.

The message I want to convey today is that instead of focusing exclusively on the concept of the metaverse and how it will be in the future, it is crucial to concentrate on the existing platforms and how we can innovate within them. Innovation should not be confined to pursuing a distant concept; it should be about generating value here and now with the tools and technologies already at our disposal. By doing so, we will not only drive the industry forward but also provide impactful and meaningful experiences to today’s users. Thank you very much.