Global company Accenture, with over 700,000 employees across 49 countries, specialise in information technology services and consulting. They are a self-proclaimed modern organisation, aiming to transform businesses through digital innovation.
They have a very distinctive perspective on the controversial topic of the Metaverse: they believe ‘the Metaverse is a continuum, a spectrum of digitally enhanced worlds, realities and business models.‘ With this in mind, they created their own Metaverse called the Nth Floor, a business-focused space for employees to socialise and work in a mixed reality environment. Let’s discuss this more…
How is the Nth Floor Different to Other Spaces?
Lots of Metaverse spaces are being created in this new phase of the digital revolution, with businesses investing in advanced technology to innovate their practices, business models and cultures. Accenture’s Nth Floor was largely inspired by the Covid-19 pandemic, where working from home became the new normal and in-person socialisation and work was at a minimum, leaving people feeling isolated and lonely. Prompted by this lack of stimulation, Accenture sought to create a digital space to keep people safe and enourage the same socialisation you would get in the office, through bumping into employees and meeting up in the canteen for lunch. A replica of Accenture’s offices was created, as well as a cafe and other interactive environments. Their aim was to create a fun and collaborative space with interactivity where spontaneity could flourish.
The Nth Floor is a space that is becoming more and more common, with businesses seeking to provide this digital environment whilst investing in new technology to engage in innovation. Accenture collaborated with Microsoft and AltspaceVR to create the Nth Floor with mixed reality for meetings, training and team meetings. Their space is also very versatile and customisable, as well as being scalable to different environments and for different purposes.
Stemming from their ICP (immersive collaboration platform), the Nth Floor is heavily targeted towards business use as opposed to consumer experience; it is fully immersive (with a headset) and allows users to engage in the work environment as much as they would in the office. Their multi-user, cross-platform meeting solution is a creative space to really innovate the workplace and push businesses to engage in the new wave of the digital revolution.
Is the Nth Floor the Future of Work?
As opposed to some other Metaverse spaces we have explored, such as Nikeland, CEEK City and M&S, Accenture’s Nth Floor is heavily focused on innovating business environments to adapt to the ‘new norm’ of remote working. Whilst a lot of Metaverse spaces see an opportunity to engage consumers in a mixed reality experience, Accenture have opted against the consumer route. Most argue this is a great way to stimulate employees in a remote environment and encourage a collaborative and creative culture. After all, Meta’s latest announcement of the Meta Quest Pro is targeted towards businesses as opposed to consumers…
The future of the Nth Floor and similar Metaverse spaces of course depends on the business; a virtual showroom works great for H&M, a gaming experience works great for Nikeland and a VR navigation tool works great for M&S…but is the Nth Floor limited to office workers?
“While we are at the early days of the metaverse, it will advance very quickly. If companies don’t act now, they’ll find themselves operating in worlds designed by, and for, someone else.”
Paul Daugherty – Group Chief Executive – Technology & Chief Technology Officer
The big question is will Metaverse spaces similar to the Nth Floor become a reality for businesses? Is it just a pipe dream or an inevitable step forward that businesses will have to take?
