Virtual Reality Training Applications Evaluation Framework Towards Industry’s Human-Centricity

This research presents a framework for the evaluation of Virtual Reality (VR) industrial training applications aiming to enable the user acceptance and safety feeling. The use of virtual reality applications for training purposes, not only contributes to productivity, but also ensures a safer environment. Aiming to provide high quality VR applications to trainees, this research targets to a scheme that will be used for the validation of these technologies. This evaluation framework uses a structured way of assessment based on a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that pivot around the human-centric approach, taking, also, into consideration the inclusiveness of the applications. It also characterizes the existing users’ level of skills to join the training so as to fit better to the entry point of the training. The added value of applying this framework is two-fold; developers evaluate their application and acquire quality feedback to enhance it accordingly, while trainees become confident about the quality of the proposed application that are going to use for their training. Finally, a conceptual case study is presented that focuses on health and safety training, representing a wide part of the industrial workplace activities.