As technology continues to advance, more specifically, within the augmented reality sector, its capabilities are being used in innovative ways. More and more, technology is being used to gain support for social goods. A Social good in need of such attention is the healthcare sector in Illinois. The country is currently facing a nursing shortage, and the areas taking the brute of the force are areas in rural Illinois. Conditions in rural Illinois cause higher rates of respiratory infections, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and psychological disorders (Driscoll). The nursing shortage can be attributed to a number of reasons. One of which being that the baby boomer generation, which makes up half of the nursing force, is going to retire. It is estimated that in order to combat this crisis, Illinois will have to add 19,000 nurses within the decade (Cox). The University of Illinois has proposed a solution to this crisis which consists of reducing the nurse-to-patient ratio. This ratio will limit the number of patients under a single nurse’s care, in Illinois, this number is 5.2:1 (Hancock). Such a reduction will make patient care more efficient and safer, however, it is debated that this will make rural hospitals close. Rural hospitals are severely understaffed, this will add challenges to patient treatment. As the US is nearing a healthcare crisis, the public is silent. They are silent, however, not by choice. This is where AR technology can help raise awareness for the public to donate to hospitals. AR could also form a direct line of communication for the public but also the needed nurses.

Augmented reality technologies have the capability to create empathy that will provoke a call to action for this otherwise unknown cause. The reason for utilizing augmented reality is that it is a better fit for reaching a broader public audience. Many do not realize that every smartphone can be used for AR capabilities. All phones have gyroscopes and accelerometer that make AR on a smartphone more immersive (Kumar). Many iPhone cameras have built-in QR readers and other phones can simply download an app to do so. Additionally, there are apps like HP Reveal and Qlone that many smartphones can download to quickly and easily interact with AR projects. Using AR forces the public to use their phones in a way they never thought possible before (Crawley). This will capture audiences as it is not a means of taking a picture or showing them a video clip. The audience is hit with an unexpected immersive and interactive experience that will leave a lasting impression on them (Crawley). With a more engaged audience, the more likely they are to retain the information being given to them through the experience. Ar technologies have also been found to make more empathetic audiences (Bailenson). AR technology being used effectively for such a social good campaign can be seen in the NHS AR blood experience (Crawley). An advertisement was created for the NHS blood drive using AR, and as expected, the ad was extremely effective in gaining new donors (Crawley). AR technology can be utilized in a similar fashion to advertising information about the nursing shortage.

The AR project that could help gain aid for the nursing shortage can be similarly modeled after the NHS blood drive initiative by using a billboard or some form of advertisement. This will help combat the first obstacle which is lack of knowledge on the topic. This project will consist of a digital billboard with a picture of a hospital in an underserved county in Illinois, in this case, Gibson Area hospital in Ford Illinois. This county, like several others surrounding the Champaign area, are typically understaffed and are facing the brute of the shortage. The billboard will have a picture of the rural hospital in near ruins about to be condemned. The billboard will prompt onlookers to point their phone at the board to activate the AR capabilities. This will activate an interactive choice of adding nurses to the hospital. On display will be the number of nurses on staff at the hospital, this number will be in red to indicate that these numbers are poor. Each time the user presses the “add nurses button” a virtual nurse will be added to the image and the red numbers will continue to lighten until they reach green. The more nurses added the better the condition the hospital gets. At the end of the interaction, information about nurse openings for the hospital as well as the other opportunities available in rural Illinois. This billboard will be placed where it can be viewed by the UIC nursing students on campus, near their simulation lab. This location will provide the best interaction with the target audience. It will also give other audiences viewing the billboard the opportunity to donate to nursing scholarships. It will also inspire younger generations to become nurses themselves. The purpose of this advertisement will be to increase nurse retention in the surrounding counties of Champaign.

As our issues follow us into the new age of XR technologies, so must our solutions. Billboards, newspapers, and commercials are everywhere, in today’s world, information must be conveyed in a better format to catch attention. This format comes in the form of Augmented reality. In order for a social issue to garner the support it needs it must look to AR technologies to do so. AR can help with various social projections most effectively as it will leave a lasting impression on its users. By requiring the user to implement their phones in a new and fascinating way, they will not forget the social good they were interacting within the process. The lasting impact will make audiences more empathetic to the cause thereby causing a domino effect of change. The billboard is intended to reach the student nursing audience. Through the billboard, they will be informed of job opportunities in their immediate area which will also work to increase retention rates. Those not in the target audience will also be affected by the advertisement as the empathy created within this group will cause a call to action response. In this case, modern problems do require modern solutions.