From the HTC Vive to Meta Quest to Apple Vision Pro, Extended Reality (XR) is having a real moment. But as is the case with most emerging technologies, the hype surrounding them has left many questioning whether this technology is an actual value driver for businesses or just a really cool, expensive toy.
At Launch by NTT DATA, our approach to emerging technology has always been to prioritize substance over style, and XR is no exception. Here are some ways we’ve leveraged this technology to generate ROI for our clients, and potential use cases you can apply within your own organization.
Welcome to the future of skills development
Whether bringing new members onboard or equipping existing staff with new business-critical skills, training is one of the most time-consuming but essential tasks an enterprise conducts. However, it’s also open to a lot of variance. Two employees in the same role can have completely different experiences just based on when they underwent training, who their trainer was, and how the material was delivered.
To bypass this, many enterprises have begun experimenting with XR-based training. The outcomes are repeatable, consistent, and not dependent on location or timing. There are no limitations on training frequency or group sizes, and participants can learn at their own pace. In fact, research indicates that this instructional method is more effective for retention and engagement, with PwC finding that VR (Virtual Reality) learners could be trained four times faster, were 275% more confident applying their newly learned skills, and 3.75x more emotionally connected to the material than classroom learners.
That was certainly the case when Launch by NTT DATA partnered with DWA to create an immersive Microsoft HoloLens experience with medically accurate interactive models depicting the biological and chemical features of migraine treatment. 98% of the clinicians who interacted with the solution reported the experience met their learning objectives, 88% felt it enhanced their overall learning experience, and 93% reported that the HoloLens activity was applicable to improving their clinical practice.
A business earns back its training investment when its people retain and apply their learnings, but XR-based training can generate ROI in other ways as well. In environments where training requires hands-on experience using specific machinery, VR can simulate the experience without downtime, delays, or damage to actively-commissioned equipment. VR can also realistically recreate dangerous and high risk scenarios, enabling learners to navigate these situations without danger.
For example, Axon’s VR-based training platform enables law enforcement trainees to practice and refine their skills during drills and increasingly complex scenarios. Through the platform, trainees can assess situations, give verbal commands to de-escalate situations, and make split-second decisions including drawing their TASER or firearm. VR allows the trainees to "live" scenarios before they encounter them in the field, which can induce stress responses similar to those seen in active duty to help trainees build muscle memory that can serve them later on.
Bring possibilities to life
Being able to recreate realistic environments has major benefits in product design, development, and validation, too. For design and engineering teams, XR makes it possible to take design concepts off-screen for 3D interaction in the real world. In fact, Stellantis recently won a Launch Award for doing exactly this to enhance driver experiences across its 16 brands.
But they aren’t the only enterprise harnessing this technology to push the boundaries of what’s possible. We worked with one of the Big Three automakers to innovate their vehicle prototyping and design process. Using Microsoft HoloLens technology once again, we created an MR (Mixed Reality) experience that enables the company’s designers and engineers to view 3D holographic versions of body options overlaid atop physical vehicle prototypes, providing a more engaging experience for less time and lower cost compared to traditional clay modeling.
Similarly, Itron Idea Labs used HoloLens and the Azure Digital Twin platform for smart city planning. The experience enabled users to visualize and interact with a 2D map with 3D holograms to demonstrate real-time environmental impacts of the changes they were testing. In the lead up to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, the experience allowed city planners to experiment with proposed solutions and shift a global stigma of smog and pollution to create an emerging leader in clean air.
Beyond development, XR experiences can help generate buy-in and sales. Detroit Diesel and Daimler Trucks used AR and VR applications to educate prospective fleet owners on truck safety features in a more memorable way while also lowering the cost and physical boundaries of onsite walkthroughs. The immersive VR experience placed users in the driver seat as they encountered five key safety features with accompanying physical seat haptics. The AR (Augmented Reality) app expands to a larger audience, giving a birds-eye view of the safety features using common mobile devices.
The bottom line for your bottom line
These are just some of the ways that XR technology is generating real value for enterprises across industries, but there are a few key things to keep in mind. Though they are not new, AR and VR are still considered emerging technologies as new developments are still frequently unfolding. Because use cases for this technology vary so widely, it can be difficult to track ROI. However, that does not mean there isn’t any. Enterprises are consistently finding new ways to solve their challenges with this technology and inspiring others to follow suit.
Will your business’s use case be the next game changer? This doesn't have to be a one hit wonder. Check out how we help clients operationalize innovation so they can create a steady stream of game-changing products.
