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VR Mind Traps

Tambosi Technical and Economic Institute

Target
Students
Project Type
Virtual Reality
Scope
Education
Overview

A virtual reality game to learn how cognitive biases impact consumer decisions.

 

Challenge






Introduce new innovative financial education tools that enable students to recognize "behavioral traps" and reflect on their purchasing decisions.




Solution

A virtual reality game in which the user, in the role of a marketing manager, learns to understand and identify the best strategies to influence consumer choices within a virtual hypermarket.

The project

The "Mental Traps VR" project, developed in collaboration with the Tambosi Institute, was created with the goal of introducing new financial education tools to help students recognize cognitive biases—mental mechanisms, often unconscious, that influence decisions and can lead to irrational or impulsive choices.

Through the virtual reality experience, students actively and engagingly learn how these "mental traps" are leveraged in marketing strategies, gaining awareness of the mechanisms that affect their purchasing decisions and becoming able to evaluate their choices critically and rationally.

Inside the experience






Wearing the VR headset, the student takes on the role of a marketing director, aiming to leverage cognitive biases to maximize sales in a virtual hypermarket. Initially, a small robot will guide them in setting up the environment, selecting product placements, promotional graphics, and messages to capture customers' attention. Each choice will influence the behavior of virtual consumers, and the student will need to respond effectively to diverse preferences to maximize results.

At the end of the experience, an overall score will assess the effectiveness of the student’s choices and their management of the environment. A final debriefing will also reveal the correct solutions, providing insights into the cognitive biases used.




About the design

The design of the "Mental Traps VR" experience combines gaming elements, allowing participants to make choices that influence their final score within an engaging setting led by a narrating robot. Each session is unique, as it varies based on the biases presented and the AI-driven dynamics that control the virtual customers in the hypermarket.

The simulation also aims to promote metacognition, encouraging students to reflect on their own cognitive processes as they apply marketing techniques. Choices, even incorrect ones, are essential for practically understanding cognitive biases, thus improving their ability to make more aware and rational decisions.