Transfer

StraViMi (Strategic Virtualization for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises)

Distance as an opportunity for SMEs

Strategic Virtualization beyond the COVID-19-Pandemic

A project of the Chair of General Psychology and Methodology at the University of Bamberg.

The limitations of the COVID-19 pandemic have massively increased the importance of virtual communication forms: There is no way around Zoom, Skype, Teams and many other solutions. What is mostly discussed is the technology and its problems. Virtualization is experienced as deficient compared to real communication. So how can virtualization be optimized to ensure good communication beyond purely technical quality considerations? How can virtualization be consistently expanded to create high-quality advertising, marketing, product, sales and consulting offerings outside of purely conversational situations? How can virtualization be used strategically to create real added value? And finally: How can better inclusion (of people with physical or mental impairments, people with language barriers, the elderly, and people who need to isolate themselves for health reasons) be achieved in this way?

One important answer to this question is our project on Strategic Virtualization: Here we consider and serve several levels of virtual communication in a long-term perspective. The topics of communication, information, information design, user experience, emotion, values and aesthetics are dealt with in a practical way from a psychological perspective - with findings from current research. An interdisciplinary team - experts from psychology, computer science and communication design - will put various forms of virtual communication into practice in workshops.

The project is funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Free State of Bavaria.

Project leader: Prof. Dr. Claus-Christian Carbon and Dr. Marius Raab

Project team members: Lukas Bauernschubert, Benjamin Griebel, Heike Kiesewetter, Robin Mithoff, Stefanie Mithoff, Jennifer Tesch, Viktoria Sommermann