ImmersifyVR
A grant-funded virtual reality exercise application designed to motivate older adults to exercise. Deployed and tested in several retirement homes across California.
ImmersifyVR is a virtual reality startup designing a product that motivates exercise in older adults. So far, we've built three in-game experiences and ran in-person playtests with 30+ older adults across three retirement homes in California.
ImmersifyVR initially started as a project that I managed for LettuceBuild (a coaching program for younger students to develop entrepreneurial and technical skills). After going through the needfinding, prototyping, and iteration process, it became clear that there was a market for what we were developing, transforming into a fully-fledged startup managed by a team of four student developers.
ImmersifyVR team with senior playtester at Chateau Cupertino
Product and mission
The game is built in Unity (C#) to create an immersive environment that makes daily exercise appealing and achievable for older adults. Spatial audio, visual feedback, and gamification turn working out into an engaging activity, with real-time guidance that adapts to the user's level. Exercises in the application are designed to be accessible to older adults with limited mobility.
Preview of ImmersifyVR swimming scene
Design process: playtesting with 30+ older adults
We ran in-person playtests with 30+ older adults across three retirement homes. This feedback drove simpler onboarding, clearer in-VR instructions, and exercise ranges that felt both safe and motivating. It also has informed our development of new activities; at first, we believed that older adults preferred more relaxed activities, but the playtests revealed that many older adults preferred excitement.
Post-interviewing with a senior playtester at Chateau Cupertino
Business model and public presence: immersifyvr.org
Beyond the VR build, we designed a in-person personal-trainer model for retirement communities and senior centers. I helped develop the public site at immersifyvr.org; most of my work was in guiding the team in creating a public-facing presence to get in touch with partners.
immersifyvr.org website preview