Virtual reality (VR) and immersive technologies are increasingly being deployed by learning & development teams. By tapping into the potential of emerging technologies, from gaze tracking to hand tracking, learning and development (L&D) professionals can look into a wealth of information to help guide their workers towards new heights of productivity and efficiency.

With that being said, how can we measure the effectiveness of these technologies and demonstrate the true benefits for the workforce? Here are a few points to show how immersive technologies can help you today.  

Measuring With New Technologies

Using virtual reality solutions provides the opportunity to observe and measure the effectiveness of training scenarios in new and interesting ways. Using gaze tracking, eye tracking and gesture tracking, trainers can assess the reactions of an individual in quantitative ways that would have required a dedicated lab setting in the past.

Gaze Tracking

This is one of the most common virtual reality metrics, as it can be measured by simply tracking which direction the user is looking. This can be used to analyse how much someone is looking at an area within the virtual reality environment, and setting out the success of the simulation accordingly.

Using gaze tracking, trainers can measure if the user turns to face someone when they walk in. In more high-risk scenarios, it can be used to understand how effective training has been. An example is  testing reactions when faced with a sudden emergency situation.

Eye Tracking

A more precise version of gaze tracking, eye tracking uses cameras built into the headset to understand exactly what the user is looking at. This technology comes built in on many VR headsets that are aimed at the enterprise market, such as HTC Vive Pro Eye and Varjo's headset range.

This can be used to measure attentiveness by the user much more precisely than gaze tracking. For example, it can be used to see if the user is making eye contact with a virtual colleague or if they are looking out the window behind them.

Gesture Tracking

Using technologies such as Ultraleap's hand tracking or the HTC Vive Tracker, it is possible to track movements of a user in the virtual space.

Using hand tracking, participants can use their hands in VR without the need for controllers, this increases the immersion and makes everything more natural. 

Additionally, for trainers, by observing hand tracking data, they can see if the trainee is understanding instructions and if they have any hesitancy before pressing virtual buttons or performing actions.

Using HTC's Vive Trackers gives trainers the ability to measure full body movement and body language of the participant. Combined with a recording of the session, eye tracking and hand tracking, it is possible to create a very comprehensive, almost "in their shoes" level replay of the training scenario.

What Does Success Look Like?

Having the data is only half the challenge, it is integral to any training programme that the right questions are being asked so that KPIs can be formulated that accurately measure effectiveness of training and the return on investment for the business.

Training With Purpose

Recognising the present working procedures as a starting point and the learning outcomes you wish to achieve will provide you a framework for assessing the effectiveness of your VR training programme.

Key professionals need to consider the purpose of their training programme, and set KPIs based on what success looks like. What do you want your workers to understand after completing training and how will this help them improve their performance at work? 

How will this training affect business productivity as a whole? 

Monitoring Performance During the Training Programme

Trainers should build training scenarios with the functionality to measure time taken and repetitions needed to complete tasks.

Combined with the various tracking solutions, these insights offer a wealth of useful data on the user experience and the effectiveness of the training. 

Actively engaged learners develop skills more rapidly and retain knowledge for longer, so monitoring interactions, reactions, engagement and proficiency during the training session can help you to assess if the training course is impactful. 

It will also help to indicate where content isn’t quite right and where changes might need to be introduced.
 

Asking the Right Questions: Surveys & Qualitative Feedback

Getting the feedback of your employees on your VR course is critical. Post-training questionnaires and opinion-based qualitative feedback are both good for obtaining this type of information which people can use afterwards. 

Ask questions such as;

• Was the training worth your time?
• Did you find it interesting?
• What have you learned?
• How will you apply this knowledge?

Collating and analysing your staff's responses to the training will demonstrate if the course is addressing the concerns you've identified, as well as where modifications may be necessary. It can also help you construct a picture of unmeasurable, but invaluable outcomes such as boosting your employee confidence.

Putting it into Practice: Post-course Assessment

A successful, enjoyable and engaging training experience is nice, but applying it in the workplace to improve performance is the ultimate objective. Line managers have the opportunity to evaluate changes in behaviour over time as they track performance against an individual's personal development plan. 

• Have they incorporated new skills into their job?
• Are they working more productively?
• Are they making less errors?

One of the benefits of virtual reality training is that it may be easily repeated with little effect on budget or downtime. Over a longer period, key indicators such as knowledge retention or improved competency can be tested by revisiting virtual training scenarios.

The Impact of Training on Company Performance

Every training program should be made with the intention of having a long-term positive effect on the company. It may be difficult to assess the impact and ROI of training when there are many external factors that impact corporate performance, but setting appropriate KPIs and monitoring their progress, you should be able to find correlations between training programmes and company-wide improvements.

Conclusion

Virtual reality training offers an incredible amount of insight into how your employees react during various scenarios. By taking advantage of the various measurement methods and setting the right KPIs. You can fine-tune and improve for future courses and demonstrate the true benefits of VR training in the workforce.