Assessing the Usability of Different Virtual Reality Systems for Firefighter Training

The use of Virtual Reality (VR) based learning environments for training firefighters is becoming more and more common. The key advantages of these approaches is that they allow the development of experiential learning environments, where trainees can be involved into and interact with complex emergency scenarios, including those that cannot rely for the training on real world systems and environments due to costs or security concerns. Despite that, current VR training systems are still affected by a number of weaknesses, mainly related to usability and to the (limited) sense of presence conveyed by the virtual environment (VE), which can negatively affect the expected learning outcomes. To this end, in order to gain further insight into this problem, this work aims at assessing the usability of a firefighter training application deployed in three VR systems and exploiting serious games in the educational approach. The VR systems under analysis provide different levels of immersion and offer different approaches to manage interaction and locomotion inside the VE. Experimental results, obtained through a user study, show differences among the three systems. In particular, the devices and metaphors used to manage locomotion in VR seem to be the most critical parameters with respect to usability and learners' achievements.