Augmented Reality (AR) is a term you’ve probably
heard bandied about by the media, business leaders and bonafide nerds. It
sounds really complex. Highly technical. Futuristic. Does it really have a role
in training?
Before we delve deeper into the role of AR in
training, and the benefits of using it in your training programmes, it’s
important to understand exactly what it is.
Not to be confused with its older sibling Virtual
Reality (VR) and younger sibling Mixed Reality (MR), Augmented
Reality is an interactive,
reality-based display environment that uses computer-generated visuals, text,
sound and effects to enhance a user’s real-world experience.
By combining computer-generated imagery and scenes,
AR has the ability to provide a more unified and enhanced view of the world
(a.k.a ‘reality’).
It definitely still sounds a bit futuristic, and
slightly-if-not-highly technical. But, if you re-read that definition and let
it sink in for a moment, you’ll already begin to envisage, and get a feel for,
how AR can play a pivotal role in training.
Get Real
Virtual Reality (VR) is probably a technology or
term that you’re more familiar with. It’s been around since the mid-1980s, and
was once hailed as the future of things like film and gaming. But it hasn’t
really lived up to the hype.
Whereas AR uses the real, physical world and adds
to it (or ‘augments’ it), VR is a digital environment that completely shuts out
the real world. It’s a complete immersion experience. Ironically, VR is an
escape from reality.
You might have seen some examples online before,
played a VR game, or been on a VR attraction at a themepark. Like the classic
VR rollercoaster, where you put Star Wars-esque head and eye gear on and are
taken on fake-real ride of a lifetime.
Mixed Reality (MR) combines elements of both
Augmented and Virtual Reality, seamlessly integrating digital objects into the
real world to make them look as if they’re really there: a hyper-realistic
experience.
Why Augmented Reality?
At this point, it might be difficult to envisage
what advantages of using AR might be, beyond super-realistic rollercoaster
experiences. Or, more specifically, what the business advantages of AR might
be.
But, when you consider the fact that businesses
globally are now largely or entirely digitally-driven, and significantly or
utterly reliant on technology, the business case for AR starts to become a bit
clearer.
The global growth of investment in AR would
certainly indicate that business leaders can tap into, and already are, a
multitude of benefits.
In 2014, the AR market was worth a
healthy-but-far-from-sensational $247 million (£197 million), according to
Juniper Research. The market forecast for the end of this year? $2.4 billion
(£1.9 billion) – an 817% increase in just five years.
Driving this impressive investment growth is no
doubt the plethora of ‘pros’ that come with adopting AR technology, such as:
● Enhanced customer engagement and user experience
● Next-level interaction with customers and other
external stakeholders, due to the increased level of involvement AR requires
● Highly personalised experiences and content
● Increase conversion rates and sales by breaking
down barriers to purchase (Arno Sousa, a General Manager from Veeva Systems,
has observed that early adopters in the life sciences industry, are using
AR to explain complex medical concepts, treatments and products to customers).
● The greater degree of interactivity leads to
better customer retention
● Improving the effectiveness of employee training
initiatives.
As the title of this blog suggests, we’re
particularly interested in exploring that last bullet point in more detail, and
the role of AR in training.
Using AR in Training
You’d be forgiven for associating corporate
training with more traditional training
approaches and formats like Face-to-Face
(F2F) and eLearning, rather than one of the most advanced technologies on the
planet.
The reality is, though, that these training
approaches and formats will continue to be the main foundations for training
programmes. As its name suggests, Augmented Reality will simply enable trainers
and teachers to build on – to augment – these foundations,
enhancing the training experience and thus the programme’s effectiveness.
AR provides a unique proposition for both trainers
and trainees: the ability to undergo immersive, real-life simulations before they’re
faced with real-life situations. A ‘live’ experience… that isn’t properly live.
Similar, somewhat, to the way in which a pilot uses
a flight simulator during training. Or, now, how medical students can ‘perform’
surgery without the risk of injuring real patients using AR technology.
But AR isn’t just beneficial for
training in industries like aviation, or professions like medicine. Herein lies
possibly its biggest benefit: its potential ubiquity in terms of application to
different training formats, industries, sectors, and professions.
Other AR training benefits and uses include:
● Trainee Engagement: The fact
that AR can inject next-level interaction and involvement can only lead to
better engagement which, in turn, should lead to greater effectiveness and
positive outcomes.
● Efficiency: Using AR as an aid,
trainers can train more efficiently and trainees can learn quicker. A highly
efficient training environment for all parties involved, saving both time and
money.
● Risk Reduction: Whether it’s
flying a Boeing 747, performing surgery, or learning to use a new piece of
software, AR reduces the risk of mistakes or oversights because it provides a
‘real-world’ training environment.
● Continuous Improvement: Particularly
useful for continuous improvement when AR is used for software and systems. AR
can be implemented to guide users through certain processes, by using digital
overlays for real-time guidance.
● Flexibility: Although Webinars
and eLearning are already highly-flexible training formats, AR hardware can be
used for remote training – negating the need for travel or on-site training
sessions.
ARe you for real?
eLearning Industry highlights how AR is “quickly becoming an
alternative technology for training programs”. When you consider the seemingly
endless possibilities it can provide to both trainers and trainees, the notion
that its adoption by the Learning & Development industry will rise rapidly
in the next few years appears probable. A matter of “when” rather than “if”.
Whilst the future of AR and its role in training
still not fully proven and mainstream, one absolute certainty is that the
prospect of this type of technology being used in training is exciting.
AR has the potential to fundamentally change the
way people teach, learn, and develop – all for the better.
http://www.pharmexec.com/new-augmented-reality-life-sciences
https://elearningindustry.com/what-augmented-reality-training-is-leverage-ld-process
https://www.blippar.com/blog/2018/04/20/how-augmented-reality-workplace-can-enhance-training?utm_campaign=elearningindustry.com&utm_source=%2Fwhat-augmented-reality-training-is-leverage-ld-process&utm_medium=link
https://trainingindustry.com/articles/learning-technologies/augmented-reality-the-future-of-job-training/?utm_campaign=elearningindustry.com&utm_source=%2Fwhat-augmented-reality-training-is-leverage-ld-process&utm_medium=link
https://www.foundry.com/industries/virtual-reality/vr-mr-ar-confused
https://theappsolutions.com/blog/development/ar-benefits-for-business/d
