As Industry 4.0 unleashes a tidal wave of digital transformation and constant technological innovation, companies seek new, creative, and efficient strategies to evolve employee learning and development programs. One option gaining momentum is immersive training via extended reality (XR), which includes virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR).
Industries that are typically high-risk have already implemented extended reality (XR) for training, from AR welding at Piedmont Virginia Community College to flight attendant training for Philippine Airlines. However, more industries are coming on board as the benefits of immersive training are becoming more evident. Some key benefits of immersive training Based off of research from Accenture, some key benefits of immersive training have been shown to include reduced operational costs, increased user engagement, real-life situations, better analytics, and learning from mistakes.
According to ABI Research, which specialises in technology intelligence, retailers like Walmart have saved up to 80% of training time by implementing VR technology. Researchers at several universities have also found that XR training can increase learning effectiveness by 76%, compared to traditional methods. With the advent of XR technology, elements of gamification can be added—making training more interesting—enriched user data can be collected, and users can remedy mistakes that could otherwise be detrimental in real life.
The use of XR technology continues to expand at a rapid pace. While large corporations like Walmart use XR to train their employees, XR is also yielding promising results in other areas, like the medical field. At the University School of Medicine in Atlanta, students who incorporated VR into their medical training made 40% fewer mistakes than conventionally trained surgeons.
ABI Research also predicts that the enterprise VR market will grow to US$6.3 billion by 2020. While the possibilities for XR in the workplace are exciting, it is important that immersive learning is implemented in a meaningful and productive way. XR is still a tool that requires skill and forethought, whether that’s creating a compelling user experience or collecting user data in order to improve how training is done. No matter how innovative and efficient new technology is, companies still must work to educate their employees in an effective and intelligent way.
