
Exploring the Future: What Testing in the Metaverse Entails
The “metaverse” typically refers to a collective virtual shared space created by the convergence of a virtually enhanced physical reality and a persistent virtual reality. According to Jonathon Wright, testing requires a mix of manual testing, automated testing, user testing, emulators, and simulators. Real-world testing environments are used in combination to cover as many scenarios as possible.
Jonathon Wright gave a talk about testing in the metaverse at Testing United.
The metaverse isn’t just a single online world, but rather encompasses the entire spectrum of augmented, virtual, and mixed realities, Wright explained:
The metaverse can be thought of as the “universe of digital twins” or a sum of all virtual worlds, augmented reality, and the internet. It’s the next evolutionary step of the internet, offering more immersive and interactive environments.
Wright stated that the metaverse envisions a seamlessly interconnected digital universe where users can move across different virtual environments without friction. This requires standardised protocols and interfaces, making testing for compatibility and interoperability between various systems and platforms a necessity, he said. Ensuring seamless transitions and consistent user experiences across different metaverse environments poses a complex task for testers.
The metaverse is designed to support a massive number of concurrent users interacting with complex, data-intensive environments. Wright mentioned that this requires testing frameworks that can simulate thousands, if not millions, of users to ensure the metaverse can scale without compromising performance or user experience.
User engagement and experience are at the heart of the metaverse, emphasising the need for testing to go beyond functionality and performance, Wright said. Testing must encompass the quality of the immersive experience, including visual fidelity, audio clarity, interaction intuitiveness, and emotional engagement, as Wright explained:
Testing involves a multidisciplinary approach, combining software testing with user experience design and psychological principles to evaluate and enhance the immersive qualities of the metaverse.
For anyone looking to get involved in metaverse testing, it’s a blend of building on existing testing knowledge, diving deep into emerging technologies, and continually staying updated as the metaverse landscape evolves, Wright concluded.
InfoQ interviewed Jonathon Wright about testing in the metaverse.
InfoQ: What are the challenges of testing mixed reality?
Jonathon Wright: Some of the primary challenges involved in testing mixed reality applications are:
InfoQ: What skills are needed for testing in the metaverse?
Wright: Testing in the metaverse brings forth unique challenges due to its immersive, interconnected, and real-time nature. As the metaverse encompasses a vast range of technologies including virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, and more, testers need a blend of technical, domain-specific, and soft skills.
Here are some essential skills for testing in the metaverse:
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