When it comes to using XR technology and the process of digital twinning of any type of training exercise, whether it’s a hard skill or a soft skill, organizations are seeing huge returns and big benefits.
This includes things such as the exploration of “what if” scenarios, being able to practice often and fail without real-world consequences, having an emotional and physical engagement, and that feeling of risk to help drive the experience.
Approaching training using XR solutions becomes a data-rich environment.
One important part of that data is the number of key performance indicators (KPI’s) you can uncover through this approach.
KPI’s help organizations (large or small) ensure that they are hitting their training and engagement goals with their workforce and even their workflow. This measurement of information is critical for strategic and operational improvement by delivering an incredibly detailed picture of where your organization is succeeding in your training and engagement, as well as where you might be failing.
The amazing thing about XR is that it can be used to amplify those metrics, which is a huge advantage for any organization.
Through research we have found that XR has proven itself to be an incredible training resource for a number of industries such as hospitality, medical, automotive and first responders just to name a few. Data shows that we can actually improve employee training and get better engagement results through this approach.
It should also be mentioned that XR can have a financial impact on an organization by cutting costs in the time it takes to train employees.
Some XR companies have found:
- 80% of users feel more prepared to do their jobs after using an XR training experience specific to their jobs.
- 82% of users think XR is better than any other training they’ve done.
- 99% of trainees recommend XR training at one large global auto manufacturer.
- Retention rates of XR can be as high as 75% according to the Masie Center Immersive Realities for Learning and Performance report.
By leveraging virtual reality to measure KPI’s, we are able to take those metrics and turn it into a visual, physical, and emotional experience that can blow KPI’s out of the water and provide you with something much deeper than you’d expect from traditional KPI data collection.
After all, the more information you can receive from your KPI could mean big advantages in improving everything from reducing your Time-to-Fill metrics, to leadership training and overall improvement with employee engagement.
To give you an example, let’s look at how XR can take the Kirkpatrick Four-Level Training Evaluation Model and boost its data for a more robust picture of your training endeavors.
Reaction: When you train employees using XR, they are able to explore the training from multiple perspectives allowing for the exploration of multiple reactions. Employees find themselves immersed in a training environment where they are reacting through visual and audio cues, and are participating both physically and emotionally.
XR training allows you to put employees into a potentially dangerous or stressful situation without actually putting them in danger, and the employee will react to the training as if they were actually in that scenario. You are getting a true real-world reaction that includes physical and emotional feedback from the training that normally isn’t possible through traditional classroom training. This gives you a richer and more precise measurement that can be used to shape future training.
Learning: Looking at other XR case studies, individuals who learn through XR saw a 40% decrease in time spent training, while retaining more information. Whether the training is something such as preparing employees for Black Friday, training sales reps to be better at their jobs, or a helping professional hockey players stay mentally sharp while recovering from an injury. Learning new tasks through XR can create actual muscle memory both mentally and physically, which will enhance the KPI.
KPI’s are no longer limited to measuring retained information from lectures or textbooks, but through XR, you are now able to measure both information acquired in a classroom environment, as well as measuring physical and emotional knowledge from your training.
Behavior: Evaluating employee behavior based on training they received gets a big boost from XR. Employees are able to use XR to not only see things from their own perspective – but through XR – they are able to observe their own behavior from multiple perspectives or as a different person, sex, or nationality. It allows the employee to really get a big picture of how they are reacting and behaving during a certain situation.
Learners are also able to explore options and even behave in a manner that they normally wouldn’t with zero constraints or consequences. Using XR to explore KPI’s, you are able to explore behavior issues such as sexual discrimination or racism within your work environment, and come up with a better training strategy.
Results: Adding XR gives you results that are data-rich and presents an incredibly detailed picture of how your employees react to your training. It goes beyond what power point or textbooks can offer and gives an overhead view of key performance indicators that is super boosted with information that can help you move forward towards successful training, or it may highlight an area that you might need to make changes in your approach.
Surveys and interviews alone only give you part of your key performance indicators, but KPI’s along with a layer of XR can provide you with an incredibly deep view of training effectiveness in ways you could have never imagined.
The results are remarkably detailed, rich in data, and will give your training goals a massive boost that you couldn’t access through traditional KPI’s. The data can reshape the future of your training goals and offer data-rich improvements in how you train employees.
For example, one company turned to XR to train new employees on how to spray chemical coatings through a XR painting software using an all-in-one system called SimSpray that utilizes Oculus hardware paired with a custom sensor and custom “Spray Gun” controller.
This training allowed students to learn-by-doing in a virtual space with no emissions or need for protective equipment. The training could be reviewed via video playback, and skills could be perfected by trying over and over again.
The VR experience provided important KPI metrics to allow the company to see how well new hires were learning their new jobs as well as explore where they needed additional training. It also allowed the organization to see how current employees were learning new processes and procedures.
The results changed how the organization looked at their KPI’s and are now exploring how XR can re-shape all of their training initiatives.
This is one of many cases of how XR can intensify an organization’s KPI. The potential is there, and the data you get in return is huge. This is just one of the many benefits of XR and digital twinning.
With each evolution of technology organizations and industries are finding new and creative ways to improve workflow and capture important data that they can use within their company landscape.
