Dos and Don’ts of Designing Virtual Reality for Learning

Virtual Reality (VR) presents unlimited opportunities for learning as it places the learner within a realistic environment, stimulating their senses, and enabling them to focus on the salient information and tasks. Here are a few points to assist you in creating a powerful training experience.

Do

Engage your audience with compelling scenarios

‍Creating a lasting impression enhances the training experience with learnings more likely to be retained.

Be creative with how you present information

You’re no longer restricted to a 2D screen. Think about ways information can be displayed that enhance the user’s experience.

Avoid: ‘This looks real, but it doesn’t feel right’

We all know how objects and movements should look and feel. However, close but ‘not quite right’ experiences can be jarring.

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Don't

Throw users into immediate action

Users will want to explore a virtual world and orient themselves. They should not feel rushed in a new environment — Instead let the user explore their virtual environment, and give them time to adjust.

Take control away from the user

Although it’s tempting to put the user on a ‘magic carpet’ and have them fly-through a VR experience but that can disorientate and lead to motion sickness. Instead make your experience learner centric and offer total control to the user.