Do you ever wish that all of the things you desire could be found on a “one-stop shop” site? Lucky for virtual world enthusiasts, I think I might have found the one-stop jackpot of virtual worlds. Small Worlds is a 3D virtual environment that combines multiple virtual media forms into one cohesive online world. Small Worlds runs in your web browser, so there is no downloading of software onto your desktop. This will appeal to many people who do not want to clutter up their memory by downloading virtual world software.

Because Small Worlds is targeted towards preteens and up, it is likely that many of its users have had prior experience with Webkinz. Similar to Webkinz, users have the ability to design a living space for their avatar, adorn the living space with furniture and various décor, and invite friends to check out their virtual home. However, Small Worlds has differentiated itself from other virtual worlds by embracing the concept of integration and taken virtual living spaces one step further. Avatars may invite friends to watch YouTube on virtual televisions, view Flickr pictures on virtual picture frames and listen to last.fm on virtual radios that decorate your avatar’s living space.

While still in beta testing, content in the Small Worlds virtual environment is created by site administrators, though Small Worlds representatives have hinted that users will have the ability to create and modify content in the future. Just like in Second Life, users will be able to create places, clothing, vehicles….the possibilities are endless. Similar to other virtual worlds, users will be able to sell the virtually created content to other online avatars to make real world money.

As if those two worlds integrated weren’t enough, Small Worlds also plans on being a virtual world recognized for social interaction, casual gaming and media consumption. Like I said before, Small Worlds sounds like the “one-stop shop” for everything you might need from a virtual world. The only complaint I have about the Small Worlds Beta, is the navigation within the virtual world. All navigation is done by mouse click and is sometimes hard to see where you are going or to click the desired location within the virtual environment. However, the navigation is a small obstacle for the Small Worlds creators to overcome.

After spending a long day navigating through Small Worlds watching YouTube videos and chatting with friend avatars, there’s nothing I like more than relaxing in my virtual hot tub with my dog Patty Mayonnaise nearby.

Online worlds have attracted big business. Marketing and advertising inside virtual worlds has taken on new and innovative strategies, as more and more companies are establishing an interactive presence “in world.”  The Engauge Digital Behavioral Research Department loves to conduct research in a range of worlds - so I thought it would be a fun idea to explore Webkinz.

If you aren’t already familiar, Webkinz is an online world created by Ganz for kids ages 5-13. Webkinz has an estimated 530,733 in world visitors everyday. In terms of US visitors, Webkinz has seen tremendous traffic and growth in comparison to other virtual worlds.

Ask any child you know if they have heard of Webkinz and you will most likely get an earful about their specific Webkinz avatar: born from a real-life stuffed animal that translates into a digital avatar with its own personality and hobbies. The avatars – whose stuffed counterparts are purchased in stores by parents – have the ability to chat, make friends, get jobs, build homes, and play games with others, all in the comfort of a supervised and secure environment that caters to parental concerns.  And of course the in-store purchasing power is not limited to only stuffed animals – parents and their children can dress their stuffed avatars in clothes or give them Ganz brand lip balm, and all have digital codes to convert the real life products into interactive versions for their pet. Webkinz and Webkinz related products are well sought after gifts for children.

So in researching this whole Webkinz world as opportunity space for our clients, I naturally have my own avatar – a friendly, opportunistic, sunglass wearing chicken.  He’s got his own place, complete with a bed, couch and a couple of cacti and it turns out that he apparently really wants a toy cell phone.  He’s got several friends and even has a job where he earns his Kinzcash (Webkinz currency) to buy things like smoking hot sunglasses or furniture for his room.

It appears that with so many visitors to this online world, that Webkinz and the Webkinz generation will be the future of other online worlds. It will be interesting to see how the world grows and evolves as the “Webkinz generation” grows into adults. Will this generation transform the way we look at virtual worlds in the future?

I’m not sure a usability researcher could imagine a world where there was no heavy (and expensive) testing equipment that had to be lugged around from different testing locations. Well the folks over at Clearleft may have up come with some new software that will make all that a far and distant memory. Researchers may soon enjoy a world where they can just grab their Mac and run to a testing location with no extra equipment. With the Silverback Application, faulty equipment and canceled or postponed testing sessions may be eliminated, which could be a huge savings of time…and we all know that time is money.

What is the Silverback Application?

The Silverback Application is a usability testing application for web designers, developed by the UK-based design team. It has the capability of turning any location into a user testing site by utilizing the hardware on a Mac. The application is in semi-private beta testing as of yet, but is expected to revolutionize the world of usability testing.

What does the Silverback Application do?

The Silverback application eliminates the need for researchers to have multiple set up steps when conducting usability testing. It utilizes the Mac’s built in camera and microphone during testing. The application simply records while a user is testing your interface. When finished testing, the Siverback application produces a handy picture-in-picture Quicktime video, allowing the researcher to see the entire interface being tested, the reactions of the user being tested, as well as audio recorded on the microphone. The Silverback application also records every click the user makes with little circles overlaid on the Quicktime video.

Who wants to use the Silverback Application?

The Silverback Application is great for anyone who wants to know the habits of users on their website. It’s is also excellent for on-the-go testing, since testing locations will now be available wherever your Mac can go.

The question now turns to who will be on the leading edge of this new technology. Maybe someday in the near future, the days of lugging around bags full of easy-to-malfunction test equipment could be a thing of the past. If that’s the case, user experience testing should become even more efficient, making clients, researchers and participants very happy.