Collecting data from your VR training program is more than just a technical task—it’s a crucial step in enhancing the effectiveness of your training initiatives. By gathering and analyzing data, you can gain valuable insights into how well your employees are learning and where improvements are needed. But why is this so important, and how do you go about it? By prioritizing precision over fluff, your organization can pave the way for a data-driven approach that enhances the effectiveness of your immersive learning programs!

Before you collect performance metrics for your new organizational strategy, you’ll need to know which data to track from your VR training program. In this blog, we’ll explore the significance of data collection in VR training and provide practical tips on effectively gathering and utilizing data to optimize your training programs.

Collecting Data From Your VR Training Program

Without data, your VR training program is simply a really cool experience. Learners will gain a lot, but your organization will remain in the dark. XR training analytics showcase exactly how training went and how learners performed. 

With the right XRS to pinpoint skill gaps, organizations can collect data and visualize the metrics of their XR training program with online dashboards. From safety training to upskilling, collecting data from your VR training program helps maximize learning outcomes. So, what exactly is the technology capable of tracking? Prepare to be amazed at what a single training session can tell you about employee preparedness and the percentage of learners that can fulfill learning objectives.

1. Eye Tracking in Virtual Reality Training

Eye tracking data provides a lens on what learners prioritize and focus on during training. The cognitive science behind eye tracking points to learner behaviors during VR training modules. Eye-tracking can measure whether learners focus on critical elements of any given task, significantly improving safety standards. 

XR technologies have produced versatile use cases for eye-tracking. Imagine your eye working as a curser, selecting and highlighting the digital elements you look at. With new spatial computing devices, eye-tracking will inform VR and AR training applications in a major way.

For example, eye tracking in VR can be used to see if learners maintain their gaze in the right direction during a VR training driving simulation. By monitoring where learners direct their gaze, trainers can ensure they are paying attention to critical elements such as road signs, mirrors, and potential hazards. The duration of a learner’s fixation on these elements can indicate their level of engagement and attentiveness. This data allows for real-time feedback, helping learners adjust their focus immediately. 

Another example could be training sales reps who visit retail stores to stock and promote their products. This program can simulate a realistic virtual store environment, allowing learners to practice identifying optimal shelf locations for their products. The eye-tracking technology monitors where trainees are looking during the simulation, helping assess whether their gaze accurately scans the store environment to identify the best shelf placement opportunities.

If a learner frequently overlooks critical training objectives, VR training metrics can help indicate confusion or distraction, prompting additional support or retraining. Eye tracking allows us to monitor whether learners accurately spot themselves, helping prevent costly mistakes. This continuous improvement loop ensures that training remains relevant and effective, adapting to the evolving needs of the modern workforce. Ultimately, incorporating eye tracking into VR training leads to better-trained employees with greater situational and environmental awareness. This fosters a culture of safety and continuous learning, equipping your team with the skills they need to excel in their roles, reducing errors, improving performance, and driving a high standard for organizational success.

Read More: What’s New In XR Training: 5 Examples of AR Training in 2024

2. Tracking Body Ergonomics in VR

VR has your back – literally! By tracking body ergonomics during VR training, you can ensure that learners practice safe lifting techniques in a warehouse, display proper hand signals on airline runways, and respond correctly to high-traffic scenarios. VR provides real-time feedback on how often learners are prompted to correct their actions and captures the exact movement that needs improvement. This data-driven approach allows for correcting even the slightest movements tracked in VR with numerical evidence. The best part is that employees can safely make mistakes in immersive learning programs and receive corrective feedback while still in training.

Imagine knowing the exact angle your arm should be at for the perfect hand signal or the specific posture that ensures safe lifting. With VR, these aren’t just vague instructions—they’re actionable insights backed by hard data. When learners make mistakes, VR catches them and provides immediate feedback. ‘Did learners lift with their backs instead of legs?’ or ‘Did a trainee signal left instead of right?’ By leveraging learning intelligence to track body ergonomics in your virtual reality training, you can ensure that learners lift, signal, or move safely. 

This data-driven approach isn’t about generic feedback; it’s about diving deep into the details. With body ergonomic tracking, organizations capture precise, actionable insights into where learners need to improve. It’s like having a personal trainer who knows all your strengths and weaknesses. The real magic lies in the numbers. They tell the full story, giving you a clear roadmap to elevate your training game to the next level.

3. Session Playbacks 

Imagine viewing all of your challenges under a microscope. You’d see the root causes right away! That’s the beauty of session playbacks in VR training. Collecting data from VR training session playbacks offers a comprehensive view of trainee action and decision-making within a controlled, immersive environment that replicates the real world.

Reviewing session playbacks is instrumental in uncovering common skill gaps that occur during training. With video capture technologies, organizations can watch a learner’s training experience from start to finish. Much like a coach who advocates for each player and their development, trainers can detect patterns of common mistakes or areas where trainees consistently struggle, allowing them to provide thoughtful critiques and modify the program to address any shortcomings effectively.

Whether your XRS captures a body moment, learner focus, or inconsistent task completion, leaders can analyze performance data to identify strengths and weaknesses with pinpoint accuracy. Session playbacks strengthen your training strategy by allowing multiple reviews of specific tasks or skill objectives, providing a precise understanding of learners’ capabilities. Sharing playback data throughout your organization fosters a collaborative environment and company culture focused on continuous improvement.

4. Measuring Time To Completion 

While tracking time to completion is nothing new in the realm of training analytics, it takes on a new look when paired with a learning intelligence system. In an era where “quick turnaround time” is a coveted phrase, fast-paced industries are straining to meet productivity goals. But what if your organization didn’t have to pick whether something was done quickly or correctly? Immersive learning tracks “time to completion” to determine how long it takes learners to complete tasks during training to measure their efficiency in their respective roles. 

VR training metrics track the time learners take to complete tasks during training, providing a clear measure of efficiency in their roles. This valuable insight allows organizations to not only assess how quickly their employees grasp new concepts and skills but also to tailor future training programs. Depending on the program, learners can also view a time clock during a training exercise to help motivate the right behaviors. Integrating a clock feature into VR training helps create a sense of urgency but also encourages the development of time management skills essential for high-performance roles. 

With the ability to monitor and analyze “time to completion” metrics, organizations can continue the iterative process of optimizing their training program. Fulfill operational demands and enhance overall workforce productivity with swift, comprehensive skills. Thus, immersive learning not only addresses the need for speed in today’s industries but also ensures that accuracy and efficiency are not compromised in the pursuit of productivity goals.