What is Multiexperience?

It is no longer a question for companies of whether to just deploy a web platform or mobile, or both. It’s about working with the growing market of devices and the respective experience of each. Applications must run flawlessly across platforms while building a consistent and engaging connection throughout. 

Multiexperience development involves creating fit-for-purpose touchpoints based on specific modalities, all the while maintaining a consistent customer experience across mediums such as websites, mobile and desktop apps, smartwatches and more.   

Developing Multiexperience

As new modalities and device types emerge, touchpoints increase in frequency. In a digital world, with companies constantly competing for the attention of their consumers, multiexperience is well on its way to becoming the future of app development. In order to meet user and industry demands, we’re seeing the birth of multiexperience development platforms. These are used in creating voice, chat, wearable, and augmented reality (AR) experiences that support digital businesses. 

In terms of complete digital transformation, MX technology is a step forward. According to Daniel Sun, Vice President Analyst at Gartner, “Development teams should master mobile app design, development, and architecture because ‘mobile’ is typically the gateway to multiexperience.” 

If you want to design a multiexperience, consider exploring:

• Augmented reality
• Virtual reality 
• Mixed reality 
• Wearables
• Chatbots 
• The Internet of Things (IoT)

In conjunction with websites, social media, and apps, these technologies will contribute to the multiexperience as a whole. 

Multiexperience development platforms (MXDP) centralize all the activities involved in putting together a multiexperience: designing, developing, testing, distributing, managing, and analyzing. MXDP’s help companies scale their apps quickly across a variety of devices and platforms. Using an MXDP, you can develop an application that can be deployed on a range of devices.

Low-Code and No-Code

MXDP’s are platforms that use no-code or low-code development to integrate tailored environmental experiences. Low-code, just as it sounds, means less coding or programming, while no-code cuts out the need for it entirely. One such solution that offers this is WalkMe’s Digital Adoption Platform. It utilizes visual approaches to software development that streamline the development process. Digital adoption solutions like WalkMe do so by affording organizations opportunities for greater collaboration (anyone can use it, not just skilled programmers), and faster delivery of applications because less time is spent coding manually. These types of development tools allow you to update and manage new and engaging content across as many systems as you want—and in real-time.

Other benefits of low-code and no-code development platforms include:

• Rapid delivery of apps
• Greater collaboration
• Faster decision-making due to streamlined collaboration 
• Easy scalability on cloud-native architecture 
• Enablement of agility and fast response times

MX Development Barriers

One major challenge in terms of developing MX applications is aligning business and IT. According to Gartner’s survey, among the 278 participants from 6 countries, more than a quarter of respondents indicated gaps in developer skills and user experience expertise. The respondents represent organizations that have developed and deployed at least 3 types of applications. This gap, as it relates to arising technology, hinders the scaling of digital initiatives like MX development.

Multiexperience vs. Omnichannel

It’s worth noting that multiexperience does not share the same meaning as omnichannel. Omnichannel is about opening up the touchpoints across all channels, whereas multiexperience is about constructing a unified, effortless customer experience across all touchpoints and modalities, regardless of the channel. 

Multiexperience focuses on people and their journeys, while omnichannel is just about technology. Multiexperience considers how people use apps and interact with a company or brand to develop an overall unified experience—regardless of the modalities and touchpoints they choose.

Application Touchpoints & Types

The most popular application touchpoint remains the web browser, though mobile apps are certainly on the rise. 

There are also more immersive devices gaining traction, like smartwatches, and voice-driven devices. As we inch closer to the digital future once only seen in movies, augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality are also becoming more common. 

Other channels of the multiexperience include: 

• Tablets
• Smart TVs
• Wearables 

The most common app type is mobile apps. Of the enterprises that have deployed at least 3 different forms of apps—aside from web apps—91% have deployed a mobile app. Conversational apps, such as voice apps and chatbots, are the second most widely developed app type.

MX Pioneers

Some fantastic examples of successful multiexperience strategies are BMW India’s Contactless Experience and Domino’s Pizza with their Domino’s Anyware.

With Domino’s Anyware, customers can order pizza in 15 different ways. They can use whatever device they prefer and interact in the modality of their choice—be it a voice through smart speakers or text via your smartphone, or even Slack.

Domino’s made their ordering process as simple as possible for their customers. Their former CEO’s initiative to become a tech company that sells pizza has definitely taken off. In fact, more than half their orders come through digital channels. As a result of these innovations, their company stock value increased 90x, from $2 to $180 in 2010. Now, its value hovers above $400USD. Up next for Domino’s: driverless delivery vehicles and drone delivery. 

As for BMW India, they have created a contactless customer experience in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. This approach enables customers to explore, experience, purchase, and make appointments from their homes.

MX Business Impact

Businesses looking to achieve total digital transformation must rethink their strategies; the future is moving from mobile to multiexperience. Customers, and their experiences, are at the center of this transformation. Leveraging the right technology is necessary to produce a seamless customer experience across all channels and modalities. 

The amount of wearable devices is expected to exceed 1.1 billion in 2022. And while VR and AR have seen unstable sales over the years, it’s projected that 52 million devices will be sold in 2022. The pandemic has redefined retail—among many other experiences—which has accelerated the shift to digital shopping. Regardless of the duration of the pandemic, it’s certain that our world has changed forever. This change has led to a whole new experience when it comes to interacting with a brand or business.

Businesses must re-evaluate their value proposition and expand their experience to connect in whichever way their users choose to interact. Companies can streamline their operations since all processes are present in a single system. MXDPs make for faster deployment of more valuable digital experiences, making it easier for business processes to align with industry demands.

So far, cloud-hosted AI services, followed by native iOS and Android, then mobile back-end services, are the most-used technologies supporting MX development. 

Whatever your market, adjusting your business strategy to include MX development may very well be the key to the future success of your business and to ensuring customer loyalty.