A digitális kor emberének radikálisan megváltozott az emlékezethez és az információ feldolgozásához való viszonya. Az információ árad ránk, miközben az emlékezetünk nagy részét kiszervezzük különféle digitális megoldásoknak: to do appoktól a felhőtárhelyekig. Azok az emberek, akik ennek ellenére nagy mennyiségű adat között képesek felfedezni a mintázatokat, kiszűrni a lényeget és adott esetben azt memorizálni is képesek, előnyben vannak.
A MaxWhere egy olyan platform, amely az információ feldolgozását könnyíti meg. Különféle témájú 3D virtuális tereket jelenít meg VR-szemüveg vagy más eszköz megkövetelelése nélkül. A 3D terek használhatók munka céljára (pl. projektmenedzsment, adatvizualizáció, adminisztrációs vagy döntési flow végigvezetése), de oktatáshoz, események szervezésére, kiállítások és termékbemutatók tartására is. A 3D terek dizájnja és elrendezése segíti a felhasználót a tájékozódásban és az információ feldolgozásában, de van még egy dolog, ami az optimális kognitív terhelést támogatja. Ez pedig az, hogy a MaxWhere terei SmartBoardokat (okostáblákat) tartalmaznak, azaz a terekben sokféle 2D tartalom megjelenítésére szolgáló felület található. SmartBoardok segítségével lehet maximalizálni a MaxWhere 3D terei nyújtotta felhasználói élményt, és ezek segítségével válhat a hagyományos 2D szoftverekhez képest 30%-kal hatékonyabbá a munka vagy a kollaboráció, 50%-kal pedig a tanulás.
A MaxWhere-ben okostáblákon, SmartBoardokon helyezzük el digitális tartalmakat. Az okostáblák sokféle információ megjelenítésére alkalmas virtuális képernyők, amelyekre a felhasználó a számítógépén tárolt lokális tartalmakat tölthet fel. Lehetnek ezek képek, pdf-ek, prezentációk, médiafájlok. Mivel a SmartBoardok tulajdonképpen webböngészőként is szolgálnak, így bármely internetes tartalmat is meg lehet jeleníteni, például honlapokat, média- vagy közösségi szolgáltatásokat, webalkalmazásokat. És ez még nem minden. A SmartBoardok mennyiségét, elhelyezkedését, méretét és képarányát is testre lehet szabni annak érdekében, hogy a leglogikusabb információs flow-t érjük el. Nem beszélve a SmartBoardok csoportosíthatóságáról, amit MaxWhere nyelven projekteknek nevezünk. Sőt. Vannak speciális típusú SmartBoardok is, amelyek tovább segítik a munka, tanulás vagy szórakozás folyamatát az erőforrás-gazdálkodásra is ügyelve (azaz meggyorsítva az adott tér betöltését). A SmartBoard tehát a hatékonyság egyik fontos pillére a MaxWhere-ben.
A MaxWhere terei tehát lehetővé teszik, hogy a felhasználó minden olyan tartalmat egy felületen lásson, amelyek elérésére a megszokott munkafolyamatok során számtalan alkalmazást (ablakot) kellene megnyitnia a gépén. Míg egy szokványos irodai munka vagy a tanulás folyamán sok fájl és alkalmazás van nyitva a számítógépünkön, és ezek között váltunk, MaxWhere-ben mindezek egy térben egymás mellett sorakoznak.
A MaxWhere nem kényszerít új szoftverek használatára a meglévők helyett, hanem a meglévő, rutinosan használt szoftverekhez kapcsolódó munkamenetet helyezi az agy számára komfortosabban feldolgozható térbeli elrendezésbe, és a tér vizuális megjelenésével is gyorsítja a mindennapi munkafeladatok átlátását és a megértését. Egy jól berendezett térben a SmartBoardok úgy követik egymást, ahogy azt a munka- vagy tanulási folyamat lépései megkívánják. A felhasználó a térben haladva sajátítja el az információkat, így a MaxWhere a természetes tanulási folyamatainkat képezi le és támogatja. Ráadásul az is megoldható, hogy mindenki a saját tanulási stílusának megfelelően rendezze be a teret.
A 3D terekben megjelenő 2D tartalmak projektekbe szervezhetőek. Egy projekt bármennyi okostáblát tartalmazhat, sőt (mint már említettük) a SmartBoardok pozíciója, orientációja és mérete is meghatározható. Így egy projekt tulajdonképpen 2D tartalmak sorozata a tartalmakhoz leginkább illeszkedő elrendezésben, 3D térbe szervezve. A projektek az ún. Project Exploreren keresztül, vagy akár egy vagy több Választópanelen keresztül betölthetőek, illetve bezárhatóak.
A SmartBoardok nem egyszerűen statikus képek vagy díszítőelemek a 3D terek falain, hanem interaktívan alakíthatóak, és a méretük, valamint a megjelenésük is módosítható. Meghatározott paraméterek szerint finomhangolhatjuk az okostáblák megjelenését és működését.
Amikor belépünk egy térbe, vagy létre akarunk hozni egy okostáblát, az alábbi altípusokkal találkozhatunk:
A SmartBoardok változatosságának csak a fantázia szabhat határt. Léteznek olyan terek is, amelyekben egyedi fejlesztés eredményeként slideshow-k jelennek meg. Ez például akkor hasznos, ha egy (több) terméket akarunk bemutatni, netán virtuális galériát akarunk létrehozni. Vállalati vagy ipari felhasználás esetén is elképzelhető, hogy szükség van arra, hogy nagy számú képet vagy ábrát jelenítsünk meg anélkül, hogy a felhasználónak ezek között navigálnia kellene.
A támogatott fájlformátumok az alábbiak:
Emellett a SmartBoardok böngészőként is működnek, tehát különféle webes tartalmakat is képesek megjeleníteni.
A SmartBoardok nem mindegyik funkciója látható minden esetben, mert a tér vagy a projekt szerkesztője beállíthatja, hogy a felhasználók mit lássanak alapértelmezetten, ha a térbe belépnek. Ez azért hasznos, mert így ki lehet küszöbölni minden szükségtelen információt. Ha például azt akarjuk, hogy a felhasználó egy bizonyos SmartBoardon statikus tartalmat lásson, akkor az Image frame vagy a Billboard lesz a megoldás. Ilyen lehet például, ha egy munkamenethez segítséget jelentő ábrát vagy egy képi illusztrációt akarunk kitenni a falra, vagy például annak a szervezetnek a logóját, amelyhez a tér kötődik.
Ha viszont a SmartBoard teljes funkcionalitását ki akarjuk használni, akkor az alábbi funkciókat használhatjuk:
Webview: a SmartBoard központi része, tulajdonképpen a képernyője, amely a megjelenített tartalmat mutatja.
URL sáv, böngészősáv: az okostábla felső részén, amely mutatja az éppen betöltött weboldal vagy fájl elérési címét
Kék-piros kapszula: a kék gombbal a táblához lehet közelíteni és tőle távolodni, a piros gombbal pedig be lehet zárni a táblát, azaz ezzel újra a 3D térben tudunk navigálni.
Navigációs gombok: mint egy hagyományos böngészőben. Információ, vissza, előre, frissítés, home, URL vágólapra másolása, lokális fájl megnyitása, tartalom törlése, beállítások és mentés gombokkal.
Ahogyan már említettük, a SmartBoardok megjelenésükkel és elrendezésükkel segítik a munkafolyamatokat. Ha megfelelő típust választunk, és megfelelő rendszerben helyezzük el őket a térben, akkor a felhasználónak csak az a dolga, hogy ezeken végigmenjen, és a munkafolyamatot végrehajtsa.
A 3D terek és a SmartBoardok csökkentik a kontextusváltásból eredő fáradást és a hibalehetőségeket. Itt a felhasználó előtt van minden szükséges anyag. Például kitehetünk a térbe háttéranyagokat (leírásokat, ábrákat, táblázatokat, de akár tanuláshoz képleteket, szabályokat), és ezek után helyezhetjük el azokat a dokumentumokat, amelyekkel a felhasználónak valamit csinálnia kell. Sőt, a SmartBoard méretével is kommunikálhatjuk a felhasználóink számára, hogy mi az, ami fontos, és mi az, ami kevésbé, vagy csak kiegészítő információnak szánjuk. Mivel nem kell ablakok között navigálni, a szükséges információ azonnal megtalálható. Mindez pedig megtakarított időben, sőt pénzben mérhető.
The relationship of people in the digital age to memory and information processing has changed radically. Information floods us, and we outsource most of our memory to various digital solutions: from to-do apps to cloud storage. People who can discover patterns among large amounts of data, filter out the essence and memorize it are at an advantage.
MaxWhere is a platform that facilitates the processing of information. It displays 3D virtual spaces with various themes without requiring VR glasses or other devices. 3D spaces can be used for work purposes (e.g. project management, data visualization, administration or decision-making flow), education, event management, exhibitions and product presentations.
The design and layout of 3D spaces help the user navigate and process information, but one more thing supports the optimal cognitive load. And this is because MaxWhere's spaces include SmartBoards, i.e. the spaces have an interface for displaying various 2D content. Smartboards can maximize the user experience provided by MaxWhere's 3D spaces and make work or collaboration 30% more productive and learning 50% more efficient than traditional 2D software.
In MaxWhere, we place digital content on SmartBoards. Smartboards are virtual screens capable of displaying various information, on which the user can upload local content stored on his computer. These can be images, pdfs, presentations, and media files. Since SmartBoards also serve as web browsers, they can display any internet content, for example, websites, media or social services, and web applications. Additionally, users can customize the number, location, size and aspect ratio of the SmartBoards to achieve the most logical information flow. Users can also create projects by grouping SmartBoards together. There are also different types of SmartBoards that further support the process of work, study or entertainment. The SmartBoard is, therefore, an important pillar of efficiency in MaxWhere.
MaxWhere's spaces allow the user to see all content on one interface, which would require opening many applications (windows) on their computer during normal work processes. Just think about how many files and applications are open on our computer during regular office work or study and how often we have to switch tabs.
In MaxWhere, all of these are lined up next to each other in one space.
MaxWhere does not force users to use new software instead of the existing ones, but integrates the workflow related to the existing, routinely used software in a spatial arrangement that is simply more comfortable for the brain to process. MaxWhere also speeds up the overview and understanding of everyday work tasks with the visual appearance of the space. In a well-furnished space, the SmartBoards follow each other as required by the steps of the work or learning process. The user learns information by moving in space, so MaxWhere maps and supports our natural learning processes. In addition, it is also possible for everyone to arrange the space according to their own learning style.
2D contents appearing in 3D spaces can be organized into projects. A project can contain any number of SmartBoards, and users can also manually set (as already mentioned) the position, orientation and size of them. Thus, a project is a series of 2D contents in the arrangement that best matches the contents, organized in 3D space. The projects can be loaded or closed via Project Explorer or using one or more Selection Panels.
Smartboards are not simply static images or decorative elements on the walls of 3D spaces but can be shaped interactively, and their size and appearance can also be changed. We can fine-tune the appearance and operation of SmartBoards according to specific parameters.
When we enter a space or want to create a SmartBoard, we can encounter the following subtypes:
The variety of SmartBoards is limited only to imagination. There are also spaces in which slideshows are displayed as a result of unique development. This is useful, for example, if you want to present one or more products or create a virtual gallery online. In the case of corporate or industrial use, it is possible to imagine the need to display a large number of images or figures without the user having to navigate between them.
Supported file formats are:
Not all functions of SmartBoards are visible in all cases because the space or project editor can set what users see by default when they enter the space. This is useful because it eliminates all unnecessary information. If, for example, we want the user to see static content on a certain SmartBoard, then an Image frame or Billboard will be the solution. You can use this solution to display a diagram or a pictorial illustration on the wall to help with a session or, for example, the organization's logo to which the space is connected.
If, on the other hand, we want to use the full functionality of the SmartBoard, we can use the following functions:
Webview: the central part of the SmartBoard, its screen shows the displayed content.
URL bar, browser bar: in the upper part of the SmartBoard, which shows the address of the currently loaded web page or file
Blue-red capsule: with the blue button, you can move closer to the board and away from it, and with the red button, you can close the board, i.e. with this, we can navigate in 3D space again.
Navigation buttons: as in a traditional browser. Information, back, forward, update home, copy URL to the clipboard, open local file, delete content, settings and save buttons.
As already mentioned, SmartBoards help workflows with their appearance and layout. If we choose the right type and place them in the right system in the space, then the user only must go through them and carry out the work process.
3D spaces and SmartBoards reduce the fatigue resulting from context switching and the possibility of errors. Here, the user has all the necessary materials. For example, we can place background materials in the space (descriptions, figures, tables, and even formulas and rules for learning), and after that, we can place the documents with which the user has to do something. What's more, we can use the size of the SmartBoard to communicate information hierarchy, making more critical SmartBoards bigger. Since there is no need to navigate between windows, users can find the necessary information immediately. We can confidently say that SmartBoards help you work faster and more efficiently, saving organizations time and money.
We're pleased to deliver to you MaxWhere 7 - a revolution in self-created 3D spaces to manage your own journeys, packed with several new features. The latest version includes Demo Spaces for you to sample MaxWhere features, the ability to clone these into your own spaces, brand new subscription packages, appropriate admin roles, and exciting features that make MaxWhere even more efficient and easier to use.
We believe our new MaxWhere 7 will meet all your needs. In order to encourage the transition, we will be sunsetting our older versions – sorry to see them go as they were an important milestone in our journey. Please keep in mind the following dates:
One of the most important new features of MaxWhere 7 is the introduction of Demo Spaces – where you can try the extensive feature set of MaxWhere. After playing around in the Demo spaces, use these to clone your Own Space and start your MaxWhere journey for you and your user community.
Demo spaces can be used for you to try MaxWhere functionality on your own – placing content, making presentations, enabling SmartBoard features. Once you get to know MaxWhere within the Demo space, we are sure you will want your own space, which you can purchase by cloning our ever-growing list of demo spaces.
Do you have your own demo space you want us to include? No problem, feel free to raise a ticket and we will get in touch to integrate your space as soon as possible.
Once you decide you want your Own Space, the Space Creator Interface has been developed to manage your own Spaces, assign user access and select the subscription packages you need for your Spaces. This interface allows you to select the Demo Space to start your new space, choose the proper subscription package, and share it with others. The content and pricing of each package have been designed considering the needs of MaxWhere users – making sure you and your user community pay for only what you use.
There is a limited free version available for micro-communities and non-commercial use, and there are three additional subscription packages to choose from:
Buying a package is quick and convenient online, just use a credit card. We have integrated Stripe, one of the most popular online payment platforms.
Based on user feedback, the Project Explorer menu has been introduced to replace the Project Editor menu (orange menu) in MaxWhere 7. Users with the proper permissions can see the Projects and Selection Panels of a Space, and easily select, load, and rearrange them.
We hope this feature will significantly increase the clarity of the content in the Spaces. In addition, the quick ("blue") SmartBoard Editor menu will remain available to manage the placement of SmartBoards in the Space.
To achieve more effective everyday use, we have restructured our permissions system. Within each space, user will have
To see a project, a member of the user community will have to be invited within the space – with various access rights granted as described below. Within the space, you and your user community will have the right to set publicly available projects for all to see, and you can also keep projects entirely private while you work on them, or invitation only thereafter.
Space level access will be granted along the following categories of access:
We have also restructured the Project-related permissions and created three groups. This allows not just Space-level but Project-level user management as well.
Additionally, in MaxWhere 7 desktop client (and in future versions), only registered and logged-in users can open Spaces.
However, no worries if you want to share your Space with someone outside of MaxWhere: no registration is needed to open a Space in our web application. This allows MaxWhere content and Demo Spaces to be easily shared with new users.
As most companies and individual users work on a project basis, MaxWhere 7 has been designed to enable project-based operations. To make this easier for you, accessing and organizing content in MaxWhere 7 is done via projects. Each SmartBoard that is added to the Space must belong to a project. You can add Selection Panels to any project to organize, display, and load projects into the Space enabling you and your team to present content assembled in the most appropriate manner for various user personas.
Two new features are available in the project settings: autoload and hide. Projects set to autoload in a Space will load by default every time that Space is launched, ensuring that the visitor encounters the specific content and user journey that the space editors envisioned.
Projects set to hide will not be visible in the Project Explorer. This enables items – that do not belong to any specific projects - to be placed on the SmartBoards (e.g.: company logo) making them appear as default part of the Space.
Project-based operations will also play an essential role in the future. Projects will also control the permissions of any new, dynamic, user-editable elements.
SmartBoards are the windows to content and collaboration within MaxWhere – therefore we take development and enhancement of SmartBoard features very seriously. We enhanced SmartBoards with more configuration options. They will be more convenient to use and offer more flexibility in editing Spaces. New SmartBoard settings are:
In addition, we also added new properties that make working with SmartBoards more efficient. Just use checkboxes to switch between them:
There are two major technological innovations in MaxWhere 7. We created the possibility of physics-integrated camera movement. This will soon allow us to introduce the ability to avoid "passing through" elements in space and thus providing a better experience when using MaxWhere. Additionally, we implemented a new physics API that will enable more realistic physics simulation for different MaxWhere applications in the future.
What will you create in MaxWhere? Get MaxWhere 7 here.
MaxWhere Team feels that the slogan The LEANformation Company is a perfect fit because it describes exactly what MaxWhere is capable of as a 3D VR framework. At first glance, this is a platform that displays web content, PDFs, and images in a 3D virtual space for the user to access the information in a much more organized form than the usual 2D solutions and to process it more efficiently. In addition, VR glasses or any other extra device investment are not required. Suppose we get to know it more thoroughly. In that case, the extraordinary efficiency of MaxWhere, which is valid for many use cases, unfolds. In this blog, we review how MaxWhere improves the efficiency of internal company processes, especially project management.
Today, the day-to-day operation of a company requires the parallel use of extensive software. It is essential for decision-makers and project managers to easily see the cause-and-effect relationships to make an optimal decision and to be able to react as soon as possible. This is why the popularity of online collaboration support tools is unbroken. Office efficiency software tries to keep up with the multitasking challenges of process and project management. In this case, multitasking means that dozens of documents and windows must be opened at a given moment for a project. Still in addition, a project manager often must deal with several projects at the same time. For a project manager and the colleagues belonging to the project to complete all tasks on time and with adequate quality, sub-processes must constantly be under control. Even massive amounts of information must be kept in mind or monitored.
Context switching, especially when it comes to switching between apps, leads to a 40% drop in productivity, according to research published in the Harvard Business Review*. This means a loss of around 200 hours per year. Every employee who frequently switches between windows, programs and applications wastes 9% of their time.
In his research, neuroscientist Daniel Levitin** found that multitasking is so stressful that it also increases our cortisol and adrenaline production. Additionally, suppose we concentrate on several tasks simultaneously, which we do during classic project management work; our IQ can temporarily drop by 10 points.
Research*** proves that up to 20% more efficient company-level efficiency can be achieved by increasing the transparency of work processes. Part of this is choosing software that can make all the documents or application windows necessary for our project visible in one place. Our files and contents must be organized in a transparent workflow To work efficiently. A traditional folder structure can lead to time wastage as it takes much time to retrieve files. So far, it has been argued that a well-organized content structure is necessary if our goal is to store and find information and files. However, the honest answer is a workflow-based organizational structure, which significantly shortens work preparation time, especially if you must work with files that are otherwise stored in different places.
MaxWhere's inspiring visualization space builds on the brain's ability to organize and focus in a multidimensional way, thus enabling more informed decisions and more effective individual and joint work. All information content can be distributed in a 3D MaxWhere space. As a result, all documents or application windows can be opened and displayed in the order that best facilitates workflow completion. The transparent user interface of MaxWhere supports intelligent, well-organized digital content storage and its integration into a single workflow. This way, users can immediately access their digital content in an intuitive 3D environment that helps memory and orientation. MaxWhere raises the transparency and understanding of processes to a new level in company management and collaboration, thus increasing performance and efficiency.
What makes MaxWhere great? It can be used to organize contents into customizable flows and is suitable for displaying many file formats. The contents appear on so-called smartboards and are arranged in a logical order; they can be grouped into projects. Thanks to MaxWhere, users can use the same work tools and software as before, only they are accessed in a virtual space that creates the illusion of physical space and provides your mind with a parallel overview of the processes and thus faster understanding. We have a dedicated space for project management purposes. In the so-called Process space, the elements of the space represent the stations of the workflow. When the user reaches a given point in the workflow, the corresponding part of the space becomes colored and the belonging Smartboard is activated, where the information and/or tasks are available.
Like the drag and drop function of project management software, the order and importance of the content of the tables can be modified in MaxWhere.
During the development of MaxWhere, the most versatile and practical use of the tool was the most important. In this way, we have not created another software that is difficult to learn but an intuitive 3D display environment that makes the everyday use of existing, proven software more efficient and presents its users with a new, smooth user experience.
Among MaxWhere's capabilities, it is worth mentioning a few more that can be particularly useful in complex operational project management tasks:
1. Ability to integrate all online applications.
2. Ability to manage any collaboration software in the same space.
3. Ability to manage all work processes in real-time.
4. The ability to modify/move the view in special ways in 3D
5. Ability to handle 3D objects:
a. Visualization of 3D objects.
b. Presentation of 3D simulations.
MaxWhere helps to display already proven software in a performance- and efficiency-enhancing arrangement. This prevents the employee's attention from being distracted by fragmented software and documents opened in overlapping windows. The spatial visual arrangement tailored to the session makes everyday work at least 20% more efficient. This is especially true for collaboration. Thanks to MaxWhere more effective and faster joint work can be achieved, by bringing colleagues to the same level of understanding, the transfer of information becomes more accurate and precise, and transparency and performance improve by 50%. This opens up new dimensions in sharing information and preparing decisions.
3D objects, if they are arranged in a logical order in space, can create logical connections between 2D contents in seconds. Because the brain has evolved to function naturally in 3D, it can remember better and understand the spatial arrangement of objects more quickly. Thus, the brain can perceive a complex array of information faster in 3D than in 2D. In addition, MaxWhere enables instant 3D access to digital content.
MaxWhere provides enormous advantages over classical approaches regarding user workload, ease of access to novel information, and comprehensibility. Research shows that together these solutions provide a highly efficient way to visualize, share, and process large amounts of information with a low cognitive workload, a powerful tool for understanding, configuring, and managing large-scale networked digital ecosystems.
*https://hbr.org/2022/08/how-much-time-and-energy-do-we-waste-toggling-between-applications
**https://blogs.cfainstitute.org/investor/2019/05/15/daniel-j-levitin-multi-tasking-doesnt-work/
***http://acta.uni-obuda.hu/Horvath_93.pdf