SBIR Phase I: Harmony Virtual Reality (VR) Implicit Bias Training Product

Virtual Apprentice Llc, Rockville MD

Investigators

Abstract

The Broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to develop and pilot a training tool prototype to promote diversity in the workplace. This implicit bias training tool allows the user to walk in the shoes of another – be it their coworkers and/or clients - by creating an immersive presence in a virtual workplace environment. Through the immersive experiences of workplace encounters, the users’ understanding of his/her bias is heightened, stimulating intuitive and efficacious learning. The ability to understand the vantage point of others advances a collective lens of leadership, productivity, and creativity. Promoting inclusive behaviors and cultures in the workplace may result in higher productivity and economic competitiveness, advance the health and welfare of society, and provide expanded participation of underrepresented groups across industries including science, technology, enginieering and mathematics (STEM) industries. When employees perceive bias, they are more than three times as likely to leave the organization within a year. This is especially true with younger generations seeking to advance in an organizational hierarchy. This project is a novel and engaging solution addressing workplace implicit bias that offers broad humanitarian impacts. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will address the following research question: Will interactive and immersive bias training have an improved impact on sustained, non-verbal behavior change in the workplace? This implicit bias training tool will engage users in a fully immersive, active learning experience to help them understand, at emotional and behavioral levels, how microaggressions can impact work life. The product blends an immersive virtual reality (VR) experience with data capture to inform users of their implicit biases and corresponding microaggressions in action. Research will be grounded in social-psychology theory addressing behavior change. The technical challenges to be explored include establishing a user comfort level with VR, accurate data collection and reporting logistics, and measuring the degree of impact on workplace culture and policy. The pilot data analysis coupled with participant interviews and subject matter expert guidance will inform product modification to best address challenges and technical risks. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.