Through collaboration with a research project at NTNU, VirSam, I worked with how virtual reality can be used for nursing education.
WHEN
2021
WITH
NTNU Virsam
ROLE
Design contributor Concept developer
Credit:
Henrik Kristiansen
The challenge
For my master's thesis, I wanted to do a project within two fields I find exciting - emerging technology and health. Luckily there was such a project at NTNU, Virsam, and I was tasked to figured out why nursing students "froze" in virtual simulations. Naturally, I began questioning if that was the root cause of the problem.
The solution
After interviewing nursing staff, students and other researchers, I found that undercooked UI/UX was not where to focus my efforts. Rather, I needed to design the simulations themselves. Virsam's programs were focused on creating a virtual environment that emulated routines and procedures, making them look and feel like they would in real life. However, as my insight suggested, the students needed more exposure of different kinds of scenarios and difficult working conditions. Rather than emulating the real world, my thesis suggested that the programs should simulate different scenarios, making the students mentally prepared for the real world.