Makers of The Metaverse: Matt Fedorovich Of Insight Enterprises On The Future Of The VR, AR & Mixed Reality Industries

An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis

Spreading Knowledge, Insights, Lessons: I’m a firm believer in humble sharing. Maybe someone else’s ideas could ping-pong off yours (and vice versa) and lead to something really special. The industry always has been a small group of people that are pushing ideas forward, and we should maintain this sense of camaraderie and community. We will collectively benefit if we can support others in advancing developments across the industry.

The Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality & Mixed Reality Industries are so exciting. What is coming around the corner? How will these improve our lives? What are the concerns we should keep an eye out for? Aside from entertainment, how can VR or AR help work or other parts of life? To address this, we had the pleasure of interviewing Matt Fedorovich.

With more than 10 years of experience in gaming, mobile and spatial computing, Matt focuses on bringing the latest virtual, augmented and mixed reality solutions to enterprise clients. He believes eliminating the barrier to entry for the next dimension of computing is key to realizing impactful business value and promoting a deep integration of natural spatial interfaces.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Is there a particular book, film, or podcast that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

Although this may sound a bit cliché from someone who works with immersive technologies, “The Matrix”, “Ready Player One” and “Minority Report” are all films that have had a profound impact on me and influenced my career trajectory in the industry.

Specifically, these films challenged the way I thought about “reality” in general — apart from all the captivating technical and extended reality (XR) implications — and made me realize that there are potential scenarios in which alternate realities (similar to our own reality) could exist once we have the compute power and recreation methods available. I also love Christopher Nolan’s “Inception,” particularly the dream sequence, because it encourages questioning everything around us.

Is there a particular story that inspired you to pursue a career in the X Reality industry? We’d love to hear it.

I have been involved in the gaming industry for a long time. My initial interaction with mixed reality (MR) was through HoloLens, Microsoft’s take on augmented reality that uses multiple sensors, advanced optics and holographic processing that melds seamlessly with its environment. That was one of the most mind-expanding moments in my career to date.

Having a device display holographic content in front of you, while still seeing my physical surroundings at the same time, was really incredible. Then having that content interact with the physical world around me was even more incredible! From that point forward, I knew I wanted to work on accelerating that kind of technology and innovation in the space.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Once I encountered a situation where there was too much immersion in an application. Years ago, we built a “mini-game” application that was intended to put people into real environments — like browsing paintings in an art gallery and or walking through exhibits at a certain museum — through XR. The thinking was that someone would put on a headset and then be able to “walk around” and look at the different sculptures and pieces.

However, unintentionally, the experience was so immersive for the participants that a couple users “lost” all sense of their actual environment and were left discombobulated and confused once they took off their headset. To put this into context, because advanced headsets are more powerful, a lot of fidelity and realism can be packed into certain experiences like these.

The lesson here is that we must always remember the human aspect of this technology and how whatever is built physiologically affects people, as well as how they think, feel and behave. This is particularly true for adults who are often newer (and perhaps more susceptible) to these concepts than the younger generations are. Immersive experiences can be overwhelming if not handled in considerate, thoughtful ways by experts building and designing these devices and accompanying software.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I’m extremely grateful to my first mentor, a well-seasoned, intelligent startup founder who pulled me into his growing organization when I was in high school (even though what was going on around me was a bit over my head as a teenager!) For context, this happened at the beginning of the iPhone revolution, so it was a really exciting time for technology and innovation across the board.

Through this opportunity, I went from doing some basic icon design and branding to actually working with the team to build full-scale mobile 3D games. I was so inspired and driven by the work they were doing. In fact, I still follow the principles and ideologies I learned from this startup founder today.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

What’s great about AR, VR and MR is the potential to redefine innovation and problem-solving across industries — spanning manufacturing, education and beyond. We’re working with a variety of companies to help them figure out how to solve for business challenges by utilizing these technologies in smart ways.

Think about healthcare innovation, for instance, and this “reality switching timeline” that medical professionals can progress through, where they journey through AR, MR and VR to hone their craft. AR has the ability to boost the depth and effectiveness of medical training in many areas, including imaging equipment training and simulations of complex surgeries, leveraging things like holographic content. The “end” of this timeline, is, of course, practicing on real patients in real life. The cycle continues as VR can provide recurring education and training, and the journey repeats itself, helping those in the medical field improve patient outcomes time and time again.

We’ve worked with Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and the National Health Service in England on a project like this. They sought immersive and mixed reality technology to reduce the amount of physical contact between hospital staff, patients and visitors during the pandemic. But they also wanted a way to allow practitioners, including pediatric heart surgeons, to share their exact view with other remotely located experts while in the operating room to consult in real time during a procedure. This allows clinicians in acute care scenarios to remain heads-up and hands-free to concentrate on their lifesaving tasks — allowing surgeons to share information and their exact view in high-definition without pausing their work or holding additional devices. It also enhances surgery by using 3D visualization to aid clinicians when performing heart procedures, increases the number of people who can observe live and improves the ability to record procedures for VR training later to practice procedures.

We’re also working with businesses that are looking to AR, MR and VR as a “virtual office” for HR onboarding and training support. In fact, one of my teams was inspired to hold our weekly Friday meeting in VR, where my colleagues — who are physically located all around the world — can work and collaborate with greater ease. In this regard, the metaverse can be helpful for things like design reviews, review processes, creating presentations, etc.

One project I’m personally working on that I’m really excited about is preserving memories in 3D. The ability to capture certain memories, such as a family gathering or celebration, and then reliving them in real-world scale rather than on a simple 2D screen, is pretty remarkable. I love that immersive technology has the power to bring raw emotion and interaction back to the places and people we love.

Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. The VR, AR and MR industries seem so exciting right now. What are the 3 things in particular that most excite you about the industry? Can you explain or give an example?

  1. Convergence of Reality: I’ve been waiting for cloud, AI and devices to start colliding, and it seems like everything is coming to a head now, which is exciting to see. There’s a unique integration ability from which we’re seeing businesses deriving value. One device can handle multiple realities, as opposed to requiring companies to purchase two different applications and devices in order to unlock sufficient value on their proof of concept. Now, there’s one solution from one device that generates an ROI with multiple realities. That advancement is critical for businesses that are looking for an integration component for their technology.
  2. Advancements in Hardware: It’s clear that developments across the industry are contributing to improvements in physical hardware products. For instance, we’re starting to see cutback in the size of certain devices (e.g., headsets are getting lighter) as well as longer wear times, improved battery life and better processing power. These hardware advancements can enable better usability, as well as more efficiency and productivity for users across the board.
  3. Deepening Connections: One of the most powerful improvements this all can have on our lives is connection. Virtual collaboration has been one of the key use cases bringing everyone together across geographies, specialties and skillsets. With spaces like AR, we have the ability to translate speech in real time and build bridges between cultures.

What are the 3 things that concern you about the VR, AR and MR industries? Can you explain? What can be done to address those concerns?

1 . Potential for Misinformation: Because the “metaverse” concept has become more mainstream recently, there are some metaverse experts that have not characterized the technology properly and have — likely inadvertently — contributed to widespread misconceptions. In actuality, there’s really smart, well-intentioned people doing really good work in this space. To this same effect, there’s also concern for content moderation as users could spread misinformation on a platform (like what some might see and try to counteract on traditional social media platforms).

In order to combat these kinds of misinformation issues, companies need to be more transparent about what’s happening in terms of regulation and progression in the space, especially given all the positive outcomes that have resulted — and can result — from continued innovation across VR, AR and MR capabilities.

2. Security Concerns: VR, AR and MR devices can be an entryway for malware or data breaches, so ensuring they are secure is of paramount importance. Metaverse networks are not immune to issues like false identities, fraud, bad actors, phishing, or ransomware attempts. Developers must ensure secure software is a priority from the very beginning, with all devices being encrypted, before pushing any solutions onto the market. Sufficient security is table stakes.

3. Privacy Concerns: In a similar vein, there should always be heightened vigilance anytime someone’s personal identifiable information is involved. These industries are no exception. Building safe, properly regulated virtual worlds should be top of mind for all organizations that seek to build immersive experiences.

To accomplish this, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) must prioritize finding ways to manage privacy concerns and protect peoples’ personal data at the very beginning of the ideation process. The good news is there’s a lot of important work being done, especially across enterprises, to lock the security and privacy pieces down.

Within the virtual worlds, there is also concern for personal space. As we enter new worlds in new avatars, there is a movement to implement tools to stop things like verbal or physical abuse that would then cause mental trauma. Because users are so immersed in the virtual world, mental trauma can be just the same as in reality.

In a recent development, OEMs like Meta are building in “safe zones” that places a protective bubble around your avatar when a user feels threatened. Within it, no one can touch them, talk to them or interact with them in any way.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about working in your industry? Can you explain what you mean?

It can be difficult to imagine what the metaverse is like until you actually experience it. I think a lot of people still have a misrepresented, preconceived notion of what the metaverse can do for us (think “cartoon-y” avatars and video games).

As AI advances and devices improve, metaverse technology will as well, particularly as it relates to improvements in realism. With all the exciting developments, it’s a really interesting career path.

What are your “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career In The VR, AR or MR Industries?”

1 . Harnessing the Ability to Ideate in 3D: One must rebuke traditional, classical ways of thinking that have been commonplace over the past 40+ years to be successful — and disruptive — working in immersive technology. “Typical” problem-solving is limited by 2D constraints instead of expanding one’s horizons, designing and building in a boundaryless, spatial way.

The reality is that we live and interact with things every day in 3D in the real world; this same thinking and ideation should cross over to the digital world. Someone who is interested in a career in the VR/AR/MXR industries must be willing to build from the real world, a cartoon one, their own memory and so on.

2. Embracing Human Design Thinking: While designing and building in the 3D space, you need to design with the human interaction in mind. Best practices for 2D interfaces have generally been set into place, but 3D human interaction design is still in its infancy. The way one interacts with buttons, holographic models or tactile feedback is all new and everchanging.

3. Being Willing to Fail: Let’s face it, having a career in immersive tech means you will fail (a lot.) It’s inevitable. You will undoubtedly encounter roadblocks, whether they be with the device, the visuals or the interface you want to set forth. When this happens, you need to pivot by taking, or even making, an entirely different path as you progress in reaching your goal.

One example that many developers are familiar with is the “build and test” process, in which a developer codes up an application and then runs it on a device to test it out. The challenge with taking this route with immersive experiences, however, is that the simulator cannot necessarily provide the exact same experience as it can on a device. This requires trial and error — and often failure — through building, adjusting, installing, testing, identifying the errors and making changes once again. This cycle happens over and over again; patience and persistence are key.

4. Understanding the Crossroads, Complexities: In the coming years, there will be a convergence of realities, in which many devices will be capable of both VR and AR. Because their abilities will be far superior to what we have today, having a keen understanding of where VR stops and AR begins, and vice versa, is really important.

5. Spreading Knowledge, Insights, Lessons: I’m a firm believer in humble sharing. Maybe someone else’s ideas could ping-pong off yours (and vice versa) and lead to something really special. The industry always has been a small group of people that are pushing ideas forward, and we should maintain this sense of camaraderie and community. We will collectively benefit if we can support others in advancing developments across the industry.

Thank you so much for these excellent stories and insights. We wish you continued success on your great work!


Makers of The Metaverse: Matt Fedorovich Of Insight Enterprises On The Future Of The VR, AR & Mixed… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

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