Have you recently wondered why it’s becoming increasingly difficult for people to focus on one thing for a longer period of time?
This phenomenon is being noticed by more and more people today – and in many different areas of life. The popularity of TikTok and short-form videos clearly shows just how much the way we perceive and consume content is changing, especially among younger generations.
People from the world of sports are increasingly noticing this problem as well. In football, there has been an ongoing discussion for some time now about how to keep the attention of young fans, who are less and less likely to watch matches without reaching for their phones, commenting on social media, or browsing the internet during the game. More and more often, you hear that football can be too slow and that social media are there to provide additional stimuli.
Honestly, I notice this problem in myself, too. Most of the time I watch the exciting Champions League, not the domestic league, but even then there are matches where it’s better if my phone isn’t within reach.
Onboarding and Challenges in Business
Similar challenges also appear in the business world, especially when onboarding new employees. A few years ago, while preparing for a startup competition at Infoshare, we decided to base our presentation on just such a story. We imagined a young person entering their first job after school. They are motivated and eager to learn, but their entire first week is mostly reading documentation, instructions, and watching presentations. In theory, everything seems clear, but when it comes to action, uncertainty and confusion appear because there’s a lack of practical experience. Even more so, because there’s no way for such an employee to immediately practice on real equipment. No one will allow million-dollar machines to be used just so someone can get onboarded. This is where our idea came in: to create a solution that enables new employees to safely move from theory to practice before they start working on actual equipment.
Innovative VR Training and Onboarding Platform
What initially started as an idea for training a group of employees in VR has over time turned into a fully-fledged training platform called BellVR. Thanks to this, we can now organize both individual and group training sessions, where participants not only watch how various procedures are performed, but also have the opportunity to practice them independently – and without any risk. Today, several years after that competition, I look with satisfaction at how our platform is being used in practice. For example, at the SIGMA service center of the company Famur, VR onboarding helps train employees in servicing mining equipment in safe, virtual conditions.
Is VR Onboarding the Future?
Virtual reality is not only a great solution for technical industries. It’s also an excellent tool for onboarding in any company – especially today, when younger generations of employees need more stimuli to really engage in learning. Thanks to VR, new employees can safely practice not only typical tasks but also more challenging situations that are rare or simply stressful in everyday work. Virtual training also allows them to repeat key procedures as many times as needed and build confidence before they face “real-life” challenges. What’s more, thanks to gamification elements, the learning process is far from monotonous – earning points or completing missions makes everything much more engaging.
VR training is attractive, intensive, and – most importantly – it keeps participants’ attention. Thanks to interactivity and realism, knowledge is absorbed faster, more effectively, and with greater enthusiasm than during typical PowerPoint presentations.
One thing is certain – VR onboarding responds very well to challenges related to focus and overstimulation. Even if trends continue and training sessions get even shorter, I’m confident – VR will handle it with ease, because it can engage even the most impatient participants. Something tells me that’s exactly why this technology will be chosen more and more often by companies that want to train effectively, intensively, and in line with the times.
If you care about effective and engaging onboarding in your company, choose VR onboarding – it’s the future of modern training, which we implement thanks to the BellVR platform. You can find a detailed description of our solution here.
