Comments on: Club One explores immersive tech for delivering training http://www.thinkbalm.com/2009/11/02/club-one-explores-immersive-tech-for-delivering-training/ Immersive Internet insights & expertise Fri, 25 Jun 2010 18:05:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Erica Driver http://www.thinkbalm.com/2009/11/02/club-one-explores-immersive-tech-for-delivering-training/comment-page-1/#comment-703 Erica Driver Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:45:20 +0000 http://www.thinkbalm.com/?p=2939#comment-703 Hi Coyle -- thanks for the thoughtful comment. You raise a valid concern about the problematic learning curve associated with Second Life and many other immersive technologies. Removing the barriers new users face is one of the critical success factors not only for Club One but for everyone trying to deploy immersive technology for learning and training. We wrote quite about this issue in the ThinkBalm report, "Crossing the Chasm, One Implementation at a Time." You can find the report here: http://www.thinkbalm.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/ThinkBalm-Crossing-Chasm-One-Implementation-at-a-Time-Sept.-2009.pdf. Hi Coyle — thanks for the thoughtful comment. You raise a valid concern about the problematic learning curve associated with Second Life and many other immersive technologies. Removing the barriers new users face is one of the critical success factors not only for Club One but for everyone trying to deploy immersive technology for learning and training. We wrote quite about this issue in the ThinkBalm report, “Crossing the Chasm, One Implementation at a Time.” You can find the report here: http://www.thinkbalm.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/ThinkBalm-Crossing-Chasm-One-Implementation-at-a-Time-Sept.-2009.pdf.

]]> By: Coyle Brenmann http://www.thinkbalm.com/2009/11/02/club-one-explores-immersive-tech-for-delivering-training/comment-page-1/#comment-702 Coyle Brenmann Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:22:34 +0000 http://www.thinkbalm.com/?p=2939#comment-702 As a former athletic trainer in my "carbon-based" life, and a proponent of immersive technology's use in a business and social setting, I had to read this article. Firstly, I applaud Club One for taking an interest and risk in Second Life as an avenue to explore new ways to improve retention, program success in nutrition and exercise habits, and ultimately increased revenue. For those of us who've worked in the fitness industry, we know clubs must oversell their facility's capacity due to drop-outs, turn-over, and failures of members to make long-term behavioural changes. The idea of using a platform such as Second Life for a learning tool in exercise habits however has me concerned. I'm concerned that such a tool, with a steep learning curve for its use may be a turn-off for club members. This would be reflected as the same problem Linden Lab is currently fighting on its own with regard to "the first 30 minutes" of a new user's experience. I think the 2D web, emails, and the club's Habit Changer program will most likely make a greater impact to a greater number of club members. The other thing that concerns me about using 3D technology to teach proper exercise form, is 1) The inaccuracy of avatar animations, and 2) The passive nature of watching an avatar exercise versus a one-on-one, real life training session. Measuring the ROI of this project is going to have a considerable subjective component, especially when trying to determine the affect it has on sales and marketing of the club and its services. The hope is that club members will retain longer behavioural changes with respect to exercise and nutrition than current, real-life interactions with training and nutrition staff. If this is not the goal, then unless there is a cost-savings for the business to use this technology instead of carbon-based staff, the opportunity cost for using staff is lost and revenues would be less. Club One is at the forefront of exploring the business uses of immersive technology for the benefit of its members and its business. I do hope they find value in continuing this effort over time, and are equally open-minded on how they use this technology to reach members and reinforce positive behaviour, just as they were as open-minded to consider this technology's use in the first place. The challenge ahead I see, is getting the user to make the time to login to Second Life so these behaviours can be reinforced. Getting the member to find time to exercise is challenging enough on its own. Good luck to Ms. DeVaneaux and the company. As a former athletic trainer in my “carbon-based” life, and a proponent of immersive technology’s use in a business and social setting, I had to read this article. Firstly, I applaud Club One for taking an interest and risk in Second Life as an avenue to explore new ways to improve retention, program success in nutrition and exercise habits, and ultimately increased revenue. For those of us who’ve worked in the fitness industry, we know clubs must oversell their facility’s capacity due to drop-outs, turn-over, and failures of members to make long-term behavioural changes.

The idea of using a platform such as Second Life for a learning tool in exercise habits however has me concerned. I’m concerned that such a tool, with a steep learning curve for its use may be a turn-off for club members. This would be reflected as the same problem Linden Lab is currently fighting on its own with regard to “the first 30 minutes” of a new user’s experience. I think the 2D web, emails, and the club’s Habit Changer program will most likely make a greater impact to a greater number of club members. The other thing that concerns me about using 3D technology to teach proper exercise form, is 1) The inaccuracy of avatar animations, and 2) The passive nature of watching an avatar exercise versus a one-on-one, real life training session.

Measuring the ROI of this project is going to have a considerable subjective component, especially when trying to determine the affect it has on sales and marketing of the club and its services. The hope is that club members will retain longer behavioural changes with respect to exercise and nutrition than current, real-life interactions with training and nutrition staff. If this is not the goal, then unless there is a cost-savings for the business to use this technology instead of carbon-based staff, the opportunity cost for using staff is lost and revenues would be less.

Club One is at the forefront of exploring the business uses of immersive technology for the benefit of its members and its business. I do hope they find value in continuing this effort over time, and are equally open-minded on how they use this technology to reach members and reinforce positive behaviour, just as they were as open-minded to consider this technology’s use in the first place. The challenge ahead I see, is getting the user to make the time to login to Second Life so these behaviours can be reinforced. Getting the member to find time to exercise is challenging enough on its own. Good luck to Ms. DeVaneaux and the company.

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