N Square Tools for Adaptation: Remote Collaboration 2.0

Tools for Adaptation

REMOTE COLLABORATION 2.0

INTRO DUCTION

As a result of the coronavirus crisis of 2020, working remotely has become more than a trend.

Telecommuting is now, and will likely continue to be, not only a necessity but a newly accepted way of working. While there are an overwhelming number of tools that can help workers tune in remotely, the options can be just that—overwhelming.

In this booklet, we introduce some of the best digital platforms for remote workplace collaboration, based on comparative research and analysis of virtual resources conducted by N Square. These resources include videoconferencing, webinar, and AR/VR platforms that were analyzed for their capabilities and features against three criteria: Accessibility: Can they be used without additional, new or complicated hardware?

Robustness: Does the platform work smoothly, and without hiccups?

Fluidity: Can participants interact and collaborate easily with minimal training?

Based on our initial research and analysis, four platforms—Miro, Hopin, Spatial, and Discord— emerged as the most promising resources for different and specific use cases.

Next, a group of industrial designers and N Square fellows tested these platforms and their features against the three criteria previously listed. We continued to update this publication after each stage of our research and testing, which is now complete. This booklet includes the results, with each platform receiving a rating.

Miro: Virtual whiteboarding Hopin: Large-scale events Spatial: Workspaces Discord: Social networking in a virtual world

TOP PLATFORMS PERFORMANCE

POOR

ACCESSIBILITY

Spatial

POOR

SUPERIOR

Discord

Hopin

Miro

ROBUSTNESS

Spatial

SUPERIOR

Discord

POOR

Hopin

Miro

FLUIDITY

Spatial

Discord

SUPERIOR

Hopin

Miro

1

VIDEO CONFERENCE AND WEBINAR PLATFORMS

2

3

Miro Miro is an online collaborative whiteboarding platform that enables teams to build and develop ideas with one another as if they were in the same room.

Website: miro.com Contact: support@miro.com

“We had to collect and display ideas from 800 attendees at an event in just three hours. We were able to collect ideas from multiple points and attractively display them to the whole audience. We were also left with an asset that we could continue to use.”

—Gary Wilson Product and Service Innovation Specialist, Atkins NOTABLE FEATURES • Whiteboard, videoconference, ideate, project map, share and edit documents, intuitive interface, and more • Supports 100+ users at one time • Recommended by sales reps from other collaboration platforms that did not have these capabilities COST • 1+ users/limited features: Free • 5+ users: $8 USD per user per month billed annually or $10 USD per user per month billed monthly • 20+ users: $16 USD per user per month billed annually • 50+ users/enterprise: Custom pricing • Consultant plan available CLIENTS Atkins, Cisco, Frog, Hubspot, Netflix

4

5

Hopin Hopin is an all-in-one live online events platform where attendees can learn, interact, and connect with people located anywhere in the world.

Website: hopin.to

Five stars The average attendee review of a Hopin event: 4.9/5 NOTABLE FEATURES • Web-based, no downloads required • Multiple hosts, reception area, rehearsal option, presentation stage, networking, breakout groups, record • Watch speakers, meet 1:1, visit booths or host an expo, video chat, and more • White-label and customize design • 100,000+ attendees at one time COST • $99 USD per organizer per month Includes 100 registrations per organizer per month; additional registrations $0.50 USD each • Enterprise options also available • If promoting tickets for purchase through Hopin, Hopin takes 7% commission on price of tickets CLIENTS Devcon, Launch 22, Makers Collective, Tech Nation

6

7

VIDEOCONFERENCE AND WEBINAR PLATFORMS OVERVIEW

● Yes ○ No ◐ Partial / With specific plans /

With other apps

— Insufficient information /

8

Not applicable

WHITEBOARD & COLLABORATION

Adobe Connect

Conceptboard

Miro

Mural

SimpleMind Mind Maps

A Web Whiteboard

Demo or Free Trial

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Paid Premium Features

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API, SDK, or CRM Integration

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Chat

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Multiple Hosts

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Admin Dashboard

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Backstage Area

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Breakout Rooms

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Presentation Mode

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Screen Sharing

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Shared Document Editing

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Virtual Sticky Notes

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Virtual Hand Raise

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Notes

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Whiteboard

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Voting/Polls

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Supports AR/VR

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Requires AR/VR Accessory

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Multiple Environments

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Self-Guided Exploration

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Customizable

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Personalized Profiles

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Capacity

25

50

100+

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— 9

VIDEOCONFER

VIDEOCONFERENCE AND WEBINAR PLATFORMS OVERVIEW

● Yes ○ No ◐ Partial / With specific plans /

With other apps

— Insufficient information /

10

Not applicable

Join.me Demo or Free Trial

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Paid Premium Features

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API, SDK, or CRM Integration

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Mobile Friendly

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Chat

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Multiple Hosts

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Admin Dashboard

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Backstage Area

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Breakout Rooms

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Presentation Mode

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Screen Sharing

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Shared Document Editing

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Virtual Sticky Notes

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Virtual Hand Raise

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Notes

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Whiteboard

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Voting/Polls

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Supports AR/VR

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Requires AR/VR Accessory

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Multiple Environments

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Self-Guided Exploration

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Customizable

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Resource Library

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Record Sessions

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Personalized Profiles

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Capacity

5+

ENCE

WEBINAR & PRESENTATION

Google Hangouts

Zoom

Blackboard Collaborate

Go to Webinar

Hopin

Maestro Conference

Samba Live for Webinars

Zoom

Free

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100+

25+

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10,000+

15

25+

25+ 11

AUGMENTED REALITY PLATFORMS

12

13

Spatial Spatial turns the space around you into a shared augmented workplace. Remote users can collaborate, search, brainstorm, and share content as if they were in the same room.

Website: spatial.io

“Nothing on the market is as impressive as Spatial.

It is absolutely the best remote AR meeting solution for business users.”

—Next Reality NOTABLE FEATURES • Realistic avatars, multiple rooms, supports multiple devices with or without VR accessories • Share, organize, and collaborate on 3D models, videos, docs, images, and web • Import content from desktop, screen share, or connect through your phone COST • Free: Limit on session length and number of saved rooms • Enterprise: Unlimited session length and saved rooms CLIENTS Ford, Ideo, Matel, Next Reality, Shopify

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15

Discord

Website: discord.com

Plus Hubs by Mozilla

Discord is a freeware platform designed for creating communities ranging from gaming to education.

Connect with chat, text, video, and audio across channels. Add virtual environments via Hubs.

“It’s an all-in-one software with the primary purpose of communication but has a lot of other features that make it unrivaled.”

—Customer Review, g2 NOTABLE FEATURES • Integration with Hubs by Mozilla for AR/VR exploration • Chat, video, and audio call privately or with others across the platform with no algorithms • Use seamlessly across devices for free • Create unique servers and channels to organize teams and projects • Explore existing online communities COST • Free • Upgrade to Discord Nitro for $99.99 USD per year INFLUENCERS AND GAMERS Instagram, Twitch, YouTube

16

Discord

Hubs by Mozilla 17

VIRTUAL WORKSPACE

AUGMENTED REALITY PLATFORMS OVERVIEW

● Yes ○ No ◐ Partial / With specific plans /

With other apps

— Insufficient information /

18

Not applicable

Arthur

Glue Universal

Immersed

Demo or Free Trial

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Paid Premium Features

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API, SDK, or CRM Integration

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Mobile Friendly

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Chat

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Multiple Hosts

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Breakout Rooms

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Screen Sharing

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Shared Document Editing

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Virtual Hand Raise

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Notes

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Whiteboard

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Voting/Polls

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Supports AR/VR

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Requires AR/VR Accessory

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Multiple Environments

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Self-Guided Exploration

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Customizable

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Record Sessions

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Personalized Profiles

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7

EDUCATION & TRAINING

Meetingroom

MeetinVR

Spatial

vSpatial

Walkabout

Engage VR

Stage

Wonda

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— 19

3D MODELS & ENVIRONMENTS

AUGMENTED REALITY PLATFORMS OVERVIEW

● Yes ○ No ◐ Partial / With specific plans /

With other apps

— Insufficient information /

20

Not applicable

Inlusion

Matterport

Rumii

Sketchbox

Demo or Free Trial

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API, SDK, or CRM Integration

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Coming Soon

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Mobile Friendly

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● Android only

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Chat

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Multiple Hosts

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Admin Dashboard

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Backstage Area

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Breakout Rooms

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Presentation Mode

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Screen Sharing

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Shared Document Editing

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Virtual Sticky Notes

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Virtual Hand Raise

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Notes

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Whiteboard

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Voting/Polls

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Supports AR/VR

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Requires AR/VR Accessory

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Multiple Environments

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Self-Guided Exploration

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Customizable

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5+

24

SOCIAL NETWORKING

The Wild

Altspace VR

Discord

Dream

Hubs by Mozilla

Second Life

Slack

vTime

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70+

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