Enhancing social interactions in remote teams : A Framework Utilizing Immersive Games for Meaningful Connections
DESIGN RESEARCH | FRAMEWORK DESIGN | VIRTUAL REALITY
This capstone project focused on creating a framework to design immersive icebreaker activities in VR. The framework aims to provide an intentional flow that fosters trust, collaboration, and meaningful connections for remote teams.
TIMELINE
12 Months
WHAT I DID
I designed a framework for remote teams to build trust and strengthen connections through immersive icebreaker activities. I conducted qualitative research, including interviews and focus groups, to understand existing strategies and identify key themes like familiarity, open communication, and interdependence. Using these insights, I created a structured flow of activities, ranging from lighthearted introductions to collaborative challenges and conflict resolution, simulating trust-building scenarios in virtual environments. The framework was evaluated through a series of interactive sessions, helping participants rehearse real-life team dynamics in a controlled and engaging context.
WHAT I LEARNT
Through this project, I learned the importance of designing with empathy and intention, especially when addressing challenges like trust-building in remote teams. I discovered how key concepts like risk, interdependence, and open communication can foster stronger connections. This process taught me to embrace flexibility, adapt to new insights, and balance research with practical implementation. I also gained a deeper appreciation for the value of iterative design, collaboration, and the impact of creating meaningful, human-centered solutions in virtual environments.
AT A GLANCE
FROM THE LITERATURE
These insights are drawn from literature on remote teamwork.
While workplaces have extensively transitioned to being remote, teams working remotely often face challenges in fostering strong connections due to the lack of physical presence and face-to-face interactions. Embodied interactions in VR environments or the feeling or‘being present’ can recreate the experience of face-to-face interaction (Freeman et al.,2022).
Building trust is necessary for efficient teamwork. According to Depping et al., (2016) trust can be built by sharing personal information or creating a context of risk and interdependence. Virtual or online settings do not allow geographically dispersed teams to build this sense of connectedness, or even just become friends with their teammates.
Research suggests that when put in a situation that requires people in teams to depend on each other and face risk, it leads to them trusting each other and working together better(Hung et al., 2004) and (Rusman et al., 2010).
I considered designing collaborative immersive icebreakers that can help “break the ice”and address the context of trust by allowing them to explore risk and interdependence in a controlled environment (Depping et al., 2016).
Before that, I wanted to talk to people who have worked remotely previously and understand what kind of ‘icebreakers’ their company organized for their teams to get to know each other.
UNDERSTANDING EXISTING STRATEGIES USED BY REMOTE WORKERS
I wanted to understand how remote workers build better connections with their teams, so I used a mix of interviews and a focus group to gather insights.
I talked to four people—three former remote workers now studying and one who’s currently working remotely after switching jobs recently.
Here are some of the main questions that led the discussion :
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When you joined a new team, or when someone new joined your team, can you share an example of how you tried to get to know your team members better?
What was something you did, outside of regular company work to improve your connection with them? What motivated you to start it, and how was it received?
What activities has your company facilitated that you found effective in improving team connection? Why do you think they were effective?
What are the biggest communication barriers you've faced while working remotely, and how have you or your company tried to overcome them?
If you were not working remote, what are some activities you would consider or enjoy doing with your team members?
From this research, the major themes that we identified were :
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FEAR OF TRUSTING AI
Participants wanted to get to know something about each other informally. “When you cannot hang out with them in person, at least getting to know who they are as a person helps us to open up to them. We used to ask each other our favorite something, before every meeting. It could be a favorite color, a favorite icecream flavor, favorite celebrity etc”
02 FACILITATING OPEN COMMUNICATION AND INTERDEPENDENCE
Doing stuff together helped them bond. “Our company used to organize cooking sessions on zoom. While this didn’t exactly require us to work together, we still felt that we were cooking together and helping each other out. We then sat together on call to eat the meal we had prepared.”
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ENGAGING IN HEALTHY CONFLICT
“Sometimes our company organizes online trivia nights or debate competitions. I used to enjoy trivia night more than the debates because they used to get very heated. But still, we knew that what happened at the debate was just part of the event and nobody had any ill feelings towards each other.”
EXPLORING ICEBREAKER ACTIVITIES
Participants
Six individuals from remote, hybrid, and in-person teams brainstormed icebreaker ideas based on themes like familiarity, open communication, and interdependence.
Goal
To transform icebreakers into immersive experiences that help remote workers feel present and connected.
Main lesson learned
Icebreakers need a fresh approach—immersive, meaningful experiences that foster genuine connection rather than surface-level interactions.
Key Takeaways from our sessions
Dislike for traditional icebreakers
• Activities like “If you could have any superpower” or “Two Truths and a Lie” were seen as unhelpful and awkward.
• One-off sessions were ineffective in building trust or breaking team awkwardness.
Preference for games
Participants preferred engaging in games or activities over answering predictable or "lame" questions.
Surprise revelation
Insights about icebreaker inefficiency emerged during brainstorming highlighting the value of casual collaboration.
CREATING THE FRAMEWORK
Based on the discussions, I realized that there is a need to create an intentional flow that addresses trust formation within teams. The themes that we identified from our research (a need for familiarity, facilitating open communication and interdependence, and engaging in healthy conflict) were a good starting point to create a framework for remote workers to rehearse trust formation in an artificial context.
From this, I was guided to ask the question
How can we leverage immersive games in an intentional way to facilitate meaningful connections that foster trust among remote workers?
In an attempt to answer this question, I propose the following framework.
UNDERSTANDING THE FRAMEWORK
STAGE #1 Warming up
Theme : A need for familiarity
Participants expressed the need to get to know one another before collaborating or engaging in activities together.
• Suggested activities include games like ‘Would You Rather?’ or ‘Never Have I Ever’.
• These questions should not be extremely personal but should encourage sharing likes and dislikes to help participants familiarize themselves with each other.
• Avoid sensitive topics such as age, address, family members, religion, or politics to prevent discomfort.
Include open-ended questions to promote open communication and allow participants to express themselves.
The aim is to stimulate information exchange, build trust, and create a comfortable environment for interaction.
STAGE #2 Building a connection
Theme : Interdependence
Participants will engage in activities that require collaboration to solve a problem, fostering trust and teamwork.
• Simulated scenarios include tasks like solving a puzzle or a murder mystery together.
• These activities emphasize interdependence to achieve a common goal.
• Participants will rehearse real-life cooperation and communication in a controlled setting.
• Success will depend on their ability to work together and effectively communicate.
The aim is to promote teamwork, trust, and effective communication through shared problem-solving experiences.
STAGE #3 Strengthening the connection
Theme : Risk
This advanced stage encourages participants to embrace the virtual environment to express themselves openly and freely.
• Real-life team collaboration often involves challenging situations and intense conversations.
• Cultivating strong relationships within teams helps navigate difficult communication scenarios with ease.
• Participants are prompted to take risks and engage in delicate conversations to build trust.
• These activities aim to strengthen bonds and reinforce team relationships through shared vulnerability.
The goal is to foster resilience, trust, and open communication by encouraging participants to navigate risks together.
STAGE #4 Cool down
Theme : Building Social Identity
Drawing from social identity theory, this stage highlights commonalities to build stronger connections among team members.
• Following a phase of conflict or healthy competition, the focus shifts to fostering deeper social connections.
• Participants are encouraged to discover shared interests, engage in meaningful conversations, and exchange ideas.
• The activity emphasizes that despite previous differences, they can connect through shared experiences and interests.
• This stage reinforces the similarities among team members, helping to strengthen their relationships.
The aim is to build unity, understanding, and stronger bonds within the team.
EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE FRAMEWORK
Due to technical constraints, it was not possible to test the framework in actual VR environments. Instead, I implemented the framework through real-life activities and games among a group of individuals who didn’t know each other quite well. The main goal was to simulate trust-building and risk-taking within a controlled setting, similar to real team interactions. It was a group of 6 individuals. The testing was carried out over a series of sessions where participants engaged in structured activities and games derived from the framework.
The intention was to see if the intentional flow of activities affect how well they know each other at the end.
From the framework, we conducted the activity in 4 stages
Stage 1 : Never Have I Ever
• Focused on professional experiences and light personal interests.
• Participants folded a finger for actions they had done (e.g., attending a conference).
• Created a lighthearted environment to help participants get to know each other.
Stage 2 : Murder Mystery
• Teams worked collaboratively to solve puzzles and gather clues.
• Encouraged effective communication and strategic teamwork.
• Combined competition and cooperation to foster problem-solving skills.
Stage 3 : Among Us
• Introduced playful deceit and strategy through role-based gameplay.
• Challenged participants to balance trust and suspicion while completing tasks.
• Highlighted teamwork complexities in situations where direct communication is disrupted.
Stage 4 : "Coffee Breaks"
• Random pairs discussed light, pre-set topics like first jobs and favorite books.
• Aimed to highlight commonalities and strengthen social bonds.
• Encouraged meaningful conversations after a competitive stage.
WHAT WE LEARNED
• Participants felt more connected, appreciating collaborative challenges that highlighted team strengths and working styles.
• Games like "Among Us" and the murder mystery improved communication skills and active listening.
• Some participants desired more complex tasks to enhance learning and test teamwork under stress.
• Suggestions included longer activities or more frequent sessions for a lasting impact on team dynamics.
• Trust-building was strong, with activities emphasizing honesty, integrity, and reliance on one another.
• Rotating roles across activities helped participants reflect on leadership, adaptability, and team dynamics.
KEY BARRIERS
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Learning Curve : Learning how to use VR headsets and navigate virtual environments can be daunting for users unfamiliar with the technology.
Variability of Social Immersion : VR experiences differ in how well they make users feel like they're interacting with others. This depends on the quality of the virtualenvironment and the interactions within it.
Variability of Adoption of New Technologies : Some remote workers may be hesitant or resistant to adopting VR due to unfamiliarity or skepticism about its benefits.
Motion Sickness : Motion sickness remains a common issue for some users when using VR, particularly during experiences involving rapid movement or changes inperspective.
REFLECTIONS
This project is very close to my heart. Despite facing many challenges (obviously), I never considered giving up on my project. Initially fueled by just interest in VR, this project has grown into something I’m genuinely proud of.
One of the biggest lessons I learned is the importance of not becoming too attached to specific ideas, a principle talked about in design yet something I hadn't fully appreciated until now. My initial goal was to focus on ‘designing’ for VR, but I found myself stuck. I never fully understood what ‘research for design’ could be until my instructors encouraged me to explore more research avenues and I realized the impact creating a meaningful framework could have.
I sometimes question the tangible impact of this work since it’s not a conventional‘product.’ However, one of the instructors advised me that ‘You can’t save the world with one project, but you can start somewhere, work hard, have fun, and gradually make a difference.’
Visualizing this project was another struggle due to my lack of design instincts, but thanks to Trisha, and repeated iterations, my final poster does stand out amongst my peers. I would place it in a solid top 10. My experience as an instructor, where I had to evaluate students’ project documents, also helped me refine my approach to documentation. It emphasized the importance of clarity and coherence, teaching me how to better organizeand present my process and results clearly.
Recently, personal circumstances have made it difficult to maintain focus, particularly in refining the evaluation section of my document. While this might not seem fair, it's a reflection of my current state and does reflect in my documentation.
But overall, I am really proud of this project. It made me grow as a person and a designer.I’m grateful to Trisha, Colin, and Kayce, without whose guidance this project would not be where it is today. I look forward to looking back at this project years from now and feel the same sense of pride I feel today. Maybe then I would have grown more as a designer, but this project would show where I started.
Signing off from grad school!
MY CAPSTONE POSTER
BONUS PICTURES FROM MY CAPSTONE FAIR
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