Spreadsheet software like Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel has been one of the most productive and used office tools for everyone. With many new features added to the platform, it seems like it has reached a saturation level, where it has almost all the features. However, as per the new update, both the Google Spreadsheets and Microsoft Excel are soon going to be available through virtual reality. The Researchers from Coburg University, Microsoft Research, and the University of Cambridge have been successful in porting the application to the VR platform.
It is meant to improve the interactivity of the application with the user over a mobile device. Also, the VR platform would help to boost the productivity of the individual. The spreadsheet or Excel file will be rendered in the virtual space where all the components like the menu, charts, cells, etc, will be rendered and visualized in 3D. In VR, the field of view for the spreadsheet will grow beyond the limited boundaries and the user will easily be able to access large amounts of data almost immediately. The researchers used the HTC Vive Pro headset, Microsoft Surface Pro 4 tablet and a stylus where the movements of the stylus were tracked using the simulation.
As per researchers, the addition of this new technology to productivity tools, would increase the effectiveness and lead to better decision making by analyzing the files. It will enhance the interaction of the file with the users as they will be able to easily look at the data and even use touch-based switching between multiple tabs.