3D interactive and visual training, much like its technological ancestors, has experienced steady – and exciting – growth. Previous years have seen the paradigm shift as we progress through the “generations” and move from interactive toward inter-adaptive. And never has this been more evident than in 2013, when the transition offered many tangible changes, including:
1. In the past years, 3D interactive and visual training was an afterthought and it was something that was ‘sold‘ to customers – but 2013 saw a lot of customers proactively request information and ‘wanting to buy’, requiring little (if any) persuasion.
2. Industries beyond defense and aerospace are now using 3D simulation-based training; including healthcare, mining, and oil & gas – and this list will undoubtedly continue to grow.
3. Mobile/tablet deployment used to be an afterthought, but customers are now leading the conversation with that query. The thinking here has shifted so much actually that it has become a pre-qualification question for vendors (and a very wise one, we must add).
4. Users expect the same ease of use found in iOS and Android apps, so training must meet that bar and offer an intuitive, elegant experience (and behave like an app).
5. Customers are beginning to realize that an investment upfront in Visual, Interactive, and self-paced Portable training will reduce big ticket cost items like live training, travel, scheduling and so on in the following years.
6. Federal and state governments are pushing to do business directly with younger innovative companies, as they strive to reduce overhead.
There are challenges, of course – like developing better ways to measure results to show simulation-based training as a money-saving tool, not a money-spending tool – but just as the analog to digital revolution took place years ago, the passive, inert 2d to interactive 3d data movement has begun!
What do you predict this year will bring? Share your thoughts and watch for ours, headed your way soon!
Photo credit: Bytemarks on Flickr
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