Challenge
Cruise identified a need to transform its employee onboarding process. With frequent hiring groups and training led by senior employees, the company needed a more efficient, standardized, and scalable solution. The reliance on senior staff for facilitation was expensive and unsustainable as the company grew.
The objectives were clear: develop a scalable onboarding process, provide an engaging and informative experience for new hires, and reduce reliance on senior employees while maintaining training quality.
Solution
Cruise partnered with Theia to develop a virtual onboarding simulation tailored to their unique requirements. The "Think like a Car" module featured a real-time 3D environment where users explore a car's exterior from all angles, with interactive hotspots for accessing multimedia content about the vehicle's features.
A unique hub navigation system allowed seamless transitions between modules, enhancing user engagement and preparing for future content expansion. Theia partnered with enterprise metaverse platform Mytaverse to provide pixel streaming, account management, and backend support.
Outcomes
The simulation handles onboarding at scale without pulling senior engineers off their work. Every new hire gets the same experience regardless of when they start or how fast the company is growing.
New employees retain more from the interactive format than from the previous slide-deck-and-walkthrough approach. Complex concepts about autonomous vehicle systems are easier to grasp when you can explore them in 3D rather than read about them.
