Exploring the Design of a Multimodal Head-Mounted Virtual Reality for Earthquake Escape Education for Primary School Students

Earthquakes pose significant risks to the safety and mental well-being of primary school students, yet traditional earthquake-escape education methods, such as lectures and real-life drills, often fail to engage young learners or effectively improve their emergency response skills. To address these limitations, we conducted formative research with primary school students, teachers, and earthquake rescue experts in a seismic zone with a history of severe earthquakes. Based on these insights, we designed a multi-modal, head-mounted virtual reality (VR) experience that simulates earthquakes and trains children in effective escape techniques. Our approach combines multi-modal interactions (notably vibration), in-situ personalized guidance, and gamification to create an immersive and practical learning environment. We discuss key considerations for designing effective multi-modal VR environments to enhance earthquake escape education for children.