Mass Virtual builds XR training platforms for the US military. I designed the gamified LMS and instructor dashboards that drove a 49% engagement jump across active duty training programs.
A single C-17 flight simulator costs millions of dollars. Access is limited, scheduling is rigid, and when a trainee finally gets time in the sim, the LMS managing that experience is a flat, checkbox-driven form that feels nothing like the high-stakes environment it is supposed to prepare them for.
Mass Virtual put the training in a headset. My job was to design the UX layer that made soldiers actually want to use it, and gave instructors real visibility into whether it was working.
The trainee needs to feel like they are in a game. The instructor needs to feel like they are in a command center. Designing for both without making the platform feel split took real constraint.
49% engagement growth does not come from better button placement. It comes from redesigning the motivation layer of the product. Every game mechanic was borrowed from military training culture itself, not from consumer games.
Courses reframed as mission briefings. Each module has a clear objective, a time estimate, and a readiness gate. Trainees know exactly what they are preparing for before they enter the sim.
Circular progress rings and course averages surface at the dashboard level. Trainees see their momentum immediately. 92% course average is a trophy, not a number in a hidden report.
Sessions completed are displayed alongside assignments. Volume of practice is visible and valued. Trainees who put in extra reps see that reflected in their dashboard, reinforcing the behavior.
Locked sessions create anticipation and signal consequence. Earning access to the next phase Armament Loading, Aerial Refueling, Signal Proficiency mirrors how real military advancement works.
A single metric that shows whether a trainee is accelerating or decelerating. 96% with +2% from last week is an immediate signal. Instructors and trainees read it in the same glance.
VR, Cloud, PC-VR, and Tablet modes let trainees continue their progress across devices. Progress state persists. A session started in a headset can be completed on a tablet. No progress lost between platforms.
Three views from the live MassXR platform. The Courses dashboard, the Sessions management room, and the Module detail view. Click any screen to expand.
Usability testing with active-duty personnel across multiple training cohorts. The research did not tell us what to add. It told us what to remove, and what to make louder.
I check my course average before I even get to the sim. It tells me if I have ground to make up.
I used to have to pull individual records to know who needed help. Now I can see it from the room view.
The locked sessions were the first thing people asked about. Everyone wanted to know how to unlock the next one.
Measured against pre-launch engagement baseline across active training cohorts. Results driven by specific design decisions, not platform changes.
"Engagement is not a feature. It is the result of designing for the right motivation at the right moment."Angela Clemons Mass Virtual
10+ years designing and shipping products across AAA games, military training, enterprise software, and healthcare. If you need a designer who understands how to make people actually engage with what you build, let's talk.