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

这项小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是开发和试点一个培训工具原型，以促进工作场所的多样性。这种内隐偏见训练工具允许用户站在其他人的立场上——无论是他们的同事还是客户——在虚拟的工作环境中创造一种身临其境的存在感。通过职场遭遇的沉浸式体验，提高用户对自己偏见的理解，激发直观有效的学习。理解他人优势的能力提升了领导力、生产力和创造力的集体视角。在工作场所促进包容性行为和文化可以提高生产力和经济竞争力，促进社会健康和福利，并扩大代表性不足的群体在科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）等行业的参与。当员工察觉到偏见时，他们在一年内离开公司的可能性是其他人的三倍多。对于想要在组织层级中晋升的年轻一代来说尤其如此。该项目是一个新颖而引人入胜的解决方案，旨在解决工作场所的隐性偏见，并提供广泛的人道主义影响。这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将解决以下研究问题：互动式和沉浸式偏见培训是否会对工作场所中持续的非语言行为改变产生改善的影响？这种内隐偏见培训工具将让用户沉浸在一种完全沉浸式的、积极的学习体验中，帮助他们从情感和行为层面理解微侵犯是如何影响工作生活的。该产品将沉浸式虚拟现实（VR）体验与数据捕获相结合，告知用户他们的隐性偏见和相应的微侵犯行为。研究将以解决行为改变的社会心理学理论为基础。需要探索的技术挑战包括建立VR的用户舒适度，准确的数据收集和报告物流，以及衡量对工作场所文化和政策的影响程度。试点数据分析加上参与者访谈和主题专家指导将为产品修改提供信息，以最佳地应对挑战和技术风险。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.