SAR-VR is an immersive VR learning solution for training in hazardous and emergency situations

My Role

As part of a 4-person team, my responsibilities included leading User Experience Research. I also collaborated with the engineering team to design the information architecture and usability testing.

Skills

Narrative research, User interviews, Competitor analysis, Research Synthesis, Information architecture, Usability Testing

Duration

9 months

As a UX Research intern at Gravitydrive, I contributed to designing a cutting-edge platform that simplifies training for rescue mission volunteers. Leveraging a VR platform enhanced with AI-driven tracking and personalized learning plans, we enabled volunteers to receive tailored guidance for their career development, significantly improving their proficiency in rescue operations.

Problem

First responders are vital in emergencies and need thorough training. Traditional training, often in-person, poses risks such as dangerous simulations, exposure to hazardous materials, high water usage, CO2 emissions, PFAs contamination, and it's time-intensive. Moreover, it's a scattered approach without personalized instruction. There's a pressing need for an integrated platform that simplifies search and rescue training, offers custom learning paths, and builds a supportive community.

Solution

  • Provides a list of evidence based simulations to practice.

  • High fidelity virtual experiences with a continuously expanding portfolio of scenarios

  • Integrated physical interfaces to deliver the “Feels Real” virtual training experience

  • Proprietary algorithmic modelling delivers real fire behavior in a virtual environment

  • Statistical learning outcome analysis to generate data driven decision making

  • Real time data capture, analysis and training outcome feedback

Impact

SAR Learn streamlines the training process, optimizing resource allocation. Decreased training duration by 20% and increased course completion rates by 15%.

Research

Narrative Research & Game Simulation Exercise

During our discovery phase, we embarked on a journey to understand the challenges and frustrations faced by search and rescue officials and gain insights into current training and evaluation practices. We utilized various research methods, including user interviews, contextual inquiry, SAR game simulation, competitive analysis, user surveys, and user testing, mind maps to uncover valuable information and shape our understanding.

User Interviews

Competitive Analysis

View the Interview Questions

  • Conducted interviews with 15 Search and Rescue volunteers and first responders. Went to Muscatatuck Urban Training Center to observe the training.

  • Insights gained into training needs, pain points, preferences, and current training methods.

  • Uncovered common challenges, including lack of personalized guidance and the need for a supportive community.

  • Desire expressed for tailored learning paths, peer interaction, and easy resource access.

What they have

  • Offers search and rescue training programs and certifications.

  • Provides online courses and in-person training workshops.

  • Emphasizes professional development and skill enhancement for SAR professionals.

  • Provides training materials and resources for ongoing learning.

What they don’t have

  • Does not have a social learning platform for peer interaction.

  • Does not provide AI-generated learning plans or personalized guidance.

  • Does not provide immersive or virtual reality experiences.

  • Does not have a course catalog.

Research Synthesis

Affinity Diagramming of the Pain points from the User Interviews.

This was our first attempt to Information Architecture. Here we were just trying to make sense of all the data we had through a client workshop.

#challenge - Midway through the IA, We lost sight of what we initially agreed to deliver!

Key Insights

“At this point we’d peeled the layers to find the core needs and desires of the users. The realization that current programs lacked a supportive community, personalized paths, and immersive experiences shaped our direction..”

Persona

Using the insights, I created personas to put a face to my users, and to empathize with their goals, frustrations, and feelings. This was likely the most important step for this project.

Stakeholder Meetings

Outside of a mission, incident commanders evaluate their team and also help volunteers reach their goals such as helping a volunteer become a K9 handler by sharing training and certification information. Sometimes it's harder for them to achieve their goals.
The frustrated SAR volunteer lacks access to diverse training courses, struggles with finding certifications, and lacks post-mission acknowledgment, but remains motivated by a strong desire to help people in distress.

#To tackle these challenges, we organized discussions with our stakeholders, focusing on revising our deliverables. The conversation veered towards narrowing the project scope to ensure timely completion. Through active listening, we collectively agreed on refining the information architecture, allowing us to proceed with a more focused and manageable approach.

Information architecture

During the ideation phase, we generated multiple concepts aimed at improving the efficiency of training and evaluation in Search and Rescue (SAR) missions. We actively involved stakeholders in the testing process to gather their feedback and insights.

Prototype

We created a few screens to show the concept in our stakeholder presentation which includes its core functionalities. The MVP features are VR simulation, real-time tracking of the progress, List of courses/simulations, checkout page for those simulations, Filter feature, and 2D instructions.

Usability Testing

Our team completed five usability tests with our low-fidelity prototype to discover our platform’s convenience, usefulness, and clarity. Five scenarios were created to ensure that the participants interacted with the key features of the prototype. The usability test was followed by the user rating each screen on a Likert scale with additional comments and suggestions.

After analyzing feedback from our usability tests, we created a document with common recommendations for improving the experience of this platform before it’s built out. Once all recommendations are implemented, the UI and dev team will build a high-fidelity prototype that will include an updated design system and visual guide.

What did I learn from this project?

From this project, I learned the critical importance of flexibility, clear communication, and stakeholder collaboration in the UX design process. It highlighted the necessity of balancing ambitious innovation with practical execution, particularly when faced with complex problems like training for hazardous situations. Developing a deep understanding of the end-user’s needs through comprehensive research was invaluable, as was the ability to adapt our approach based on stakeholder feedback and project constraints.