But how can I train new staff without putting them at risk or bringing the entire production process to a grinding halt? This is where the mixed reality application, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Guides, comes in. To find out more, carry on reading!
What is Dynamics 365 Guides and how can I use it?
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Guides is part of Microsoft’s mixed reality portfolio and is an application that has been specifically designed for HoloLens 2. What that means is that course participants can put on their HoloLens 2, launch the applications and then see virtual instructions displayed within their field of vision. All you need is a HoloLens, a licence for the application and WLAN or a hotspot.
What are the benefits of Guides?
The instructions provided by Guides can be put into practice in the very place they are needed. They may not sound particularly innovative at first as that’s also possible if you’ve printed out the instructions or have your computer next to you. However, Guides does in fact offer five benefits you just can’t get from the “old fashioned” way of providing instructions.
1. Your hands are free to work with!
Your hands are completely free to do whatever they need to do as the instructions are always in your field of vision because let’s be honest, we’ve all been there. You can’t put the manual anywhere on the machine itself, so you have to screw something into place while reading instructions from the printed manual, which is lying somewhere on the floor, and at some point you have to turn over to find out what comes next. Not even a multi-tasking master could do that. It’s a piece of cake with HoloLens 2 and Guides, though. When you put HoloLens 2 on, the instructions appear virtually in your field of vision, and so the user has their hands completely free to work. By the way, you’re probably wondering about how to turn the pages of your virtual manual, so we’ll get straight on to the second benefit.
2. Say goodbye to having to turn pages. A glance is all it takes to move on to the next page.
Here too, the application has been specifically designed with practicality in mind. Instead of having to turn the pages by hand, all you have to do is look at a small arrow and you’ll move on to the next step. It’s all possible thanks to eye tracking technology. It’s just another way of making sure you don’t have to stop what you are doing to turn the page.
3. The possibilities are endless!
Want to add something detailed images? Include videos? Allow your colleagues to test their mettle on a virtual machine before letting them loose on the real thing? How about adding a little test at the end of the training? It’s all possible with Guides and, best of all, you don’t need any great skills (except possibly a dash of creativity) when putting them together.
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4. Unsure about something? Help is but a Teams call away!
We’ve all been there. The person who has put together the instructions uses words that no-one really understands, seemingly hasn’t used the machinery themselves for a while or just isn’t very good at expressing themselves. Instead of desperately having to find a creative solution, you can call the relevant colleague directly from the application so they can see exactly what the pupil is seeing and provide direct support.
5. Simplicity is the key to success!
The application is easy to use for both the user and the creator. As a user, you can intuitively control what you see through eye contact and you don’t need any previous experience or weeks of training to put together a virtual instruction manual. It’s all about keeping it simple.
How do I create instructions, I hear you ask.
Creating a virtual manual for mixed reality surely requires advanced programming skills and is only possible with a lot of time and money? Wrong! Microsoft is, in fact, trying to be nice to its target groups and is true to the saying the simpler, the better! Creating the instructions is much like working on a PowerPoint presentation. All you have to do is enter the text, add a picture and create the next step in the guide. That’s it!
Leverage Power BI to gain real-time learning insights!
How long do new employees need to understand a process? Where do they have issues? Are there steps for which more time is needed? These are performance indicators that are both interesting for supervisors, but also relevant in terms of calculating costs and it’s exactly this data that you can find out in real-time using Guides in combination with Power BI.
You don’t need to attend statistics or data analysis courses to be able to interpret the data and draw conclusions from it. It’s all visible on the application interface so you don’t have to worry about battling a sea of numbers.
Even when it all sounds a bit complicated to start with, the Dynamics 365 Guides mixed reality application is really easy to use for both authors and users alike. In no time at all, PowerPoints become interactive training courses that boost learning success. And last but least, the participants have fun. Learning by doing is the new way of onboarding colleagues as theory becomes practice. Isn’t that one of the most important factors in keeping employee motivation for training high and therefore also increasing the success rate?
Interested in Guides? We are happy to help you implement Guides or offer any advice you need during a non-binding consultation.
HoloLens 2 – Mixed reality is ready for business Reference: Marabu – Mixed reality glasses save travel costs, time and CO₂