Analysis of Caribbean XR Survey Creates an XR Development Strategy as a Path to the Regional Metaverse Evolution

Abstract

XR provides benefits in innovation, competitiveness and sustainability that offset disruptions in and enhances physical reality. The Caribbean’s metaverse evolution started before the pandemic with the development of XR projects and creatives’ NFTs. The physical isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the Caribbean’s interest in the metaverse and XR. In 2020, only 83 participants from Trinidad and Tobago entered the CARIRI AR/VR Challenge to demonstrate their XR ideas. There is a need to encourage and accelerate regional XR development. The purpose of this research is to explore Caribbean XR developers’ experiences to provide an understanding of the factors affecting their XR development. This paper addresses the question: What factors of influence will encourage the development of XR projects in the Caribbean to advance their metaverse development? Online questionnaires issued to Caribbean XR developers from July to December 2021 obtained responses from 77 participants throughout 13 regional countries. The primary data were statistically insignificant and skewed towards two countries (Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago). Comparative and inferential analyses identified factors of influence, industry sectors, and design foci. The originality of this research is an XR development strategy that incorporates the I4.0, UX, and financial strategies. It establishes the XR project design foci (the user, the purpose and the location). The factors of influence minimum criteria and the industry sector(s) influence each design focus. An initial reference list of industry sectors is education (the preferred option), healthcare, tourism, culture, manufacturing for export, construction, entertainment, game development, agriculture, and environmental protection. The strategy’s value is in enabling content creators to design XR applications to meet consumers’ needs and increase the regional adoption of XR. The impact of the research on the Caribbean is to facilitate a path to the regional metaverse evolution. This research identified the need for a regional XR development policy.