Presence by design: A multi-method examination of design considerations for immersive virtual reality in corporate training

Workforce training is a cornerstone of organizational success, as the value of intellectual capital increasingly rivals that of physical and financial assets in today’s knowledge-driven economy. The emergence of consumer-grade head-mounted display (HMD)-based virtual reality (VR) technology offers organizations innovative opportunities to meet evolving workforce training needs. This study employs a multi-method investigation to systematically examine HMD-based VR training and education, with a focus on presence as a core experiential quality of VR technology and an important determinant of learning effectiveness. First, we synthesize the literature on HMD-based VR in training and education through the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework’s four interdependent components: cognitive, teaching, social, and emotional presence. The findings highlight the dynamic interplay among different dimensions of presence and their collective impact on learning outcomes, providing an integrated framework to inform the design of HMD-based VR training and education programs. To validate the real-world relevance of the CoI components and inform design practices, we conduct semi-structured interviews with a diverse group of stakeholders, including executives and managers from select Fortune 500 companies that have integrated HMDs into their workflows, professionals from companies specializing in VR training, pedagogical experts, VR application developers, and content creators. We identify 80 key design factors linked to different dimensions of presence. By bridging theory with practical insights, this study underscores the central role of presence in shaping immersive learning experiences and provides a foundation for designing impactful HMD-based VR training and education programs. • Presence is a core characteristic that is associated with improved learning outcomes in HMD-based VR training. • The impact of cognitive, teaching, social, and emotional presence varies by training goals, context, and learner traits. • Presence is not just a byproduct of HMD-based VR but a construct that can be deliberately designed to support learning. • Organizations should define training objectives and identify which presence domains are most critical for achieving them. • HMD-based VR should be selectively deployed where it affords learning value not easily achievable with traditional methods.