VR and Empathy Mapping

VR has climbed pretty rapidly over the last couple months, and is now being applied to a number of Different Industries. I am very excited in its development, as it may really help immerse people within various contexts, which I believe will really help aid both creative Design Thinking processes for both Sociological and Ecological Innovation.

Within most creative design thinking processes, people gather in groups from various professions. The reason to mix up a group of thinkers, is to help eradicate the assumption that may come from just a group of engineers-(how might a sociologist see it?).

Whats revolutionary about VR, is that we now have a the chance to immerse all the stakeholders within the Design Thinking Process of a particular project(egineer, architect, socialogist,Scientist, Politician). We can now develop greater empathy for both a sense of place, and people that live within it. We know that experience alters our form of perception. Therefore an immersive experience through VR may further deepen our Design Thinking Processes.

I have a masters In Ecological Design Thinking from Schumacher College, which I am now developing into my recent start — up, RewildTV. This startup is a communications company that looks to communicate stories of the growing ‘regenerative’ economy, that seeks to find innovative projects that have an inclusive business model that listens to both a sense of place and the people that live within it.

The market for VR and AR is developing within all fields, studies suggest that they will have a large impact within the educational market . The idea that we can now, help our children ‘get out the classroom’, is going to rapidly increase their engagement level around subjects like History, Geography and Biology. It is also ‘user centered’, which allows the participant to engage in the content from their own perceptions, they can now follow their own curiosity. the difference that VR has over film, is its ability to develop more context. You are now able to get a better idea of the whole. For example you would have just looked and become enchanted by a flower in film, but now you your introduced to a deeper sense of ecology, by seeing the relationships that influence this system — such as the sun, bird, insect…etc. Essentially one is able to get a greater sense of the ‘whole’.

These are just my thoughts in the emerging market of VR, what are yours?

Contact me on sam@rewild.tv if you feel this technology may help your field of interest.