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Can Virtual Peers Shape Behavior in a Non-Immersive Virtual Simulation? Usability and Validity Testing a Game for Safety and Productivity
ABSTRACT
Background:
Peer effects play a role in shaping workplace behavior, influencing both safety compliance and productivity. Prior studies show that unsafe practices and performance norms can spread as employees observe coworkers. While immersive virtual environments have been used to model peer effects primarily on productivity, the potential of non-immersive simulations to capture peer driven impacts on both safety and performance remains underexplored. Given the intertwined nature of safety and productivity, the difficulty of studying social influence on safety without real-world risk, and the high costs associated with immersive virtual simulations, non-immersive simulations may offer a practical, controlled method for investigating peer effects in workplace contexts.
Objective:
To assess the usability and ecological validity of a theoretically driven non-immersive virtual simulation designed to model peer effects on safety and productivity behavior through exposure to virtual coworkers.
Methods:
Two rounds of semi-structured interviews were conducted during observed gameplay: an Alpha test (n = 12) to identify usability issues and a Beta test (n = 12) with a representative sample of the main experiment to validate improvements. Interviews assessed four areas: (1) clarity of instructions, (2) ecological validity, (3) peer effect design, and (4) incentive system design.
Results:
A non-immersive virtual simulation game titled PrepMaster, was developed to simulate task performance in a virtual commercial kitchen. In the Alpha test, participants reported that instructions were unclear, tasks felt disconnected from real kitchen work, and peer comparisons were ineffective—high-performing peers felt unattainable, and low-performing peers lacked relevance. After design revisions, the Beta test confirmed improved usability: instructions were easier to follow, tasks were perceived as realistic, and peer comparisons successfully elicited competition. These findings support the simulation’s validity for studying peer effects on both safety and productivity.
Conclusions:
This study demonstrates that non-immersive virtual simulations with theoretically grounded peer designs can elicit meaningful social influence on safety and productivity behaviors. By enabling low-risk, controlled observation of peer effects, PrepMaster offers a valid framework for advancing research on workplace behavior. These findings support the use of such simulations to inform training and management strategies that leverage peer dynamics to improve organizational outcomes. Clinical Trial: NA
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