LG Uplus announced on the 7th that it will publicly recruit a trial group for its workplace-specialized metaverse service, ‘Meta Slap.’ Building on internal verifications conducted so far, the company plans to form a trial group with external customers to further develop the dedicated metaverse service.
Meta Slap is a compound word combining ‘Meta’ from Metaverse and ‘Slap,’ an onomatopoeia for a high five. It signifies a workspace in the metaverse where employees enjoy communicating by giving high fives. Unlike existing collaboration tools that were used for single purposes such as meetings or sharing materials and made it difficult to build relationships among colleagues, this service enables two-way communication among employees while working together in a 3D virtual office space.
LG Uplus Virtual Office Project Team employees are introducing the metaverse service specialized for office workers, 'Meta Slap'. [Photo by LG Uplus]
Meta Slap aims to activate horizontal communication among employees through flexible ‘communication’ activities and 3D-based ‘two-way interaction’ functions in an ‘office space’ where users live their company life from clock-in to clock-out via personalized ‘avatars.’ It also facilitates various organizational activities, large and small, such as town hall meetings and training, allowing colleagues to work freely and comfortably in a virtual space.
To understand customer needs for workplace metaverse services, LG Uplus conducted a survey targeting representatives from 210 companies. The results showed that 118 companies (56%) expressed willingness to use the metaverse. It is analyzed that this is because 32% of all companies still implement remote work and 76% operate town hall meetings (meetings where management and employees gather to freely discuss), making it possible to overcome spatial constraints through metaverse-based virtual offices.
Meta Slap consists of a ‘Lobby’ where employees can casually greet colleagues they naturally encounter upon arrival, an ‘Office Space’ connected to the lobby through gates where team members gather to work, a ‘Single Seat’ for focused individual work, ‘Team Tables’ and ‘Meeting Rooms’ for meetings or discussions with colleagues, and a ‘Town Hall Space’ that can accommodate up to 500 participants for large-scale company events.
Avatars are sub-characters representing users active in Meta Slap. Users can boldly express their individuality by customizing their avatars with fashion styles they might not show in real life, allowing them to feel like they are arriving at work with a fresh look every day.
The office space offers three themes: ‘Playground’ for up to 25 people, ‘Library’ for 50 people, and ‘Natural Garden’ for 100 people. In particular, with advice from Professor Cha Seunghyun and researchers at KAIST’s Future Space Lab in the Graduate School of Culture Technology, the space was designed based on an open plan?where various spaces are visible without walls separating them?to naturally encourage communication among employees throughout the workday, from arrival to work, rest, and departure. Each space can be created and expanded infinitely and can be freely configured according to the organization’s size and work nature.
Meta Slap users can conduct more flexible meetings than traditional 2D video conferencing solutions through various communication functions. In a spacious office space, users can check colleagues’ statuses in real time at a glance and start meetings immediately by sitting at a table using messenger, voice chat, and screen sharing functions without separate procedures such as sending links or granting access. Users can visually confirm colleagues moving to join meetings or directly call absent colleagues, enhancing efficiency.
The two-way interaction feature is also a distinctive advantage. It includes networking functions similar to offline interactions such as knocking, calling, and visiting, as well as 18 avatar gesture functions like clapping, hearts, and fireworks that allow users to express emotions without turning on cameras, enabling horizontal communication between superiors and subordinates.
LG Uplus is recruiting a free Meta Slap trial group for corporate customers with 10 or more employees for one month until July 7. About 20 companies will be selected considering the size and purpose of the applying companies, and selected companies will be individually notified. Customized services such as company logos and event banners within the office will be provided upon request from selected companies, and the trial period is about one month from the service provision date. Detailed information is available on the Meta Slap website. After operating the trial group, LG Uplus plans to continuously enhance the service by reflecting customer experience-based feedback on market suitability and usability and is considering commercialization in the third quarter of this year.
Kim Mingu, head of LG Uplus’s Web3 Business Development Lab, said, “We are promoting business development with a vertical strategy that clearly defines purpose and effectiveness and improves usability based on customer verification to popularize metaverse services. By combining the advantage of spatial expansion in the metaverse with the characteristics of offline offices, we will provide a sense of belonging and fun in communication, innovating customers’ work experiences.”
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