Bublr and the Future of Work
- Frederic Bussiere – Bublr
KEYWORDS. Virtual Office, Remote Working, Company Culture, Collaborative Platform
ABSTRACT. > Project Description
Bublr.co is a browser-based 3D virtual office solution, dedicated to companies operating in remote or hybrid work, and which provides an innovative solution to the problems related to collaborative work, the preservation of corporate culture, serendipity, and the well-being of the employee.
Bublr’s virtual environment enables to maintain the feeling of belonging to a community (role until now played by the physical office) by offering meeting places that are freed from physical constraints (tiring and polluting daily journeys, construction of physical office space, limited space).
> Problem
Bublr is a response to recent developments in the functioning of tertiary and quaternary companies.
As a result of COVID, businesses have discovered that they don’t necessarily need offices to be productive, and at the same time, employees have discovered a new rhythm of life that is more flexible and more shared between the office and the home.
Remote work, on the other hand, has its flaws: loss of the company’s identity, deterioration of trust between employees, digital fatigue caused by meetings and hyper-availability, shrinking of the professional network circle, loneliness of employees, inequality of access to information, etc.
> Innovative Character
Bublr (“water fountain” in the US) recreates a common space where all the employees meet, where we meet our colleagues in an impromptu way, where the discussions differ from those of the meetings and where the social bond of the company is recreated: we discuss family, health, but also innovative ideas that find it difficult to formalize in the agenda of a meeting.
> Functioning
The user is represented in the 3D environment by an avatar who uses the computer’s webcam. He moves around space using keyboard and mouse and approaches other users so he can talk to them, just like in the real world.
Tools already available: chat (1-1, groups), screen sharing, multi-user slate board, organization of meetings.
Upcoming tools: VR and AR integration (via AR glasses) to make it a WebXR platform.