In this session of ELBX Online 2022, Jack Gayler and Duncan Brown of Video Interact take us through their latest project with the National Health Service in the UK (NHS). They used CenarioVR virtual reality authoring tool to build the project, titled “Speaking Up & Escalating Concerns: An Immersive Technology Resource.” We’ll follow along with their process from start to finish.
Before we take a look at what went into building the experience, let’s go over why the NHS commissioned the project and an overview of the finished product.
Context Behind the Project
The NHS decided to commission an immersive experience while working to improve training for medical staff returning to work after a significant time off. They were working on this because of an incident that occurred several years ago.
A doctor coming back to work after a long absence was put on the first shift. She was put in charge of a ward with a team she had never worked with before. Because of these unfortunate circumstances, the doctor and the team didn’t function in the way that they should have. This resulted in a child passing away under their watch.
After this tragedy, the NHS began work on better training for staff returning to work.
Overview of the Project
The short overview video of the project sums it up as this:
“It follows Dr. Lucy Jones as she returns to work after a significant absence. During a night shift, she negotiates with colleagues, patients (and their relatives), manages a genuine emergency, and quickly finds her feet again in the workplace.”
Now, on to building the CenarioVR experience.
PLANNING
In September of 2021, Video Interact met with the Health Education England NHS team to start planning. This meeting helped create a coherent vision between the two teams, build trust in CenarioVR, and allowed for both teams to share their valuable experience.
FILMING
Filming took 1 ½ days to complete. The day of filming, the script had been written and 5 actors and some medics had been hired. But after word got around, 9 doctors showed up that wanted to help build the experience. So they were added to the project and written into the scenes. The footage, 16,360 scenes and 25 interviews, was then edited in Adobe Premiere Pro over 15 days.
CenarioVR DEVELOPMENT
It took 2 weeks to develop the project. The visuals used were created in Adobe Photoshop.
Why CenarioVR? Video Interact chose it because it is simple to use, it provides lots of room for creative freedom, and it is integrated with Lectora.
PILOT COURSE
First, the course functionality and videos were reviewed by the client (NHS). Then it went on to piloting. Usually, pilot courses are tested face to face. Because of the pandemic, the course was tested online, which actually allowed the Video Interact team to engage with more testers. It was tested by over 50 NHS health professionals, and Video Interact received valuable feedback from them.
FINISHING TOUCHES
To make the experience more accessible, subtitles were added. Then, the team was informed that the experience needed to include a survey and a certificate. CenerioVR is easily integrated with Lectora, so including the survey and certificate was simple. When a learner completes the course a clickable link unlocks. The link takes the user to a Lectora page with the survey and certificate. Once this was all completed, the finished product was delivered! It is now available to over 1 million users.
CHALLENGES
3 big challenges the Video Interact team faced when creating the CenerioVR experience were file size, technical accuracy, and building a story that flows naturally.
The first challenge was that the NHS wanted the file to be under 2 GB. To solve this challenge, the team reduced the video bit rate size.
The course had a technical subject, so it was important that it was accurate. To make it as accurate as possible, the team wrote a detailed script, hired good actors, and relied on feedback from trained professionals in the NHS.
Lastly, to ensure that the story flowed naturally, the experience follows the character Dr. Lucy Jones’s experience; instead of just following the narrative of what’s happening during a night shift.
User feedback from the CenarioVR experience is incredibly positive. Users thought it was a valuable and extremely helpful resource and they loved that it was interactive and could be done at their own pace.
Get your free trial of CenarioVR, and for a deeper look into Video Interact’s building process, check out the ELBX session: A VR Healthcare Project From Start to Finish.
