In this article, I’d like to briefly recount my experience as an international fellow of the Software Sustainability Institute, UK (SSI) since 2023. As a Professor of Computer Graphics with a VR focus, I have been working with XR (VR, AR, MR, & Desktop VR) applications for quite some time when I was selected as an SSI international fellow. Being involved in VR for engineering and technology applications for a while, my perspective towards the UI/HCI aspects was narrowed down and biased from earlier works completed. I realised the need to explore other potential choices in the search space that could optimally serve the intended audience as well as the learning outcomes. During the SSI fellow selection process, my presentation focused on promoting sustainable VR and optimal UI/HCI experience. The fellowship enabled me to organise panels and workshops and offer lectures and interactive sessions in universities and research centres, which enhanced my approach towards sustainable XR. Interacting with VR experts from academia and industry facilitated a better understanding of the UI/HCI aspects vis-à-vis user learning styles and preferences (visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic).

Recently, the Global Online Learning Consortium (GOLC) awarded me second place for the VR/AR applications in manufacturing education and training and for the online portals for web dissemination. The SSI experience played a pivotal role not only in this recognition but also in reshaping my outlook on designing virtual/augmented environments and presenting them to diverse audiences. The immense learning, sharing, and collaboration resulting from the networking and interaction as an SSI fellow have helped me customise and deliver tailored experiences based on the audience's project-specific learning outcomes. 

In view of VR’s critical role in the metaverse, sustainable VR practices are more important than ever today as many academic and industrial domains are exploring and deploying metaverse applications. To this end, another important development during my SSI fellowship experience was the focus on sustainable XR practices, especially open-source software. During my fellowship, I delivered lectures and workshops at the Technological Institute of the Philippines, the Indian Institute of Technology (IITM, IITB), the Royal University of Bhutan, and the Politecnico di Torino, Italy. These institutions were not only geographically diverse but also had unique focus and approaches to different applications, which allowed deeper insights into the selection of tools and techniques that are problem-specific. Consequently, I had to explore a plethora of XR/VR tools with a specific focus on open-source software, which allowed for greater access/usability as well as dissemination.

The SSI fellowship allowed me to conduct panels involving VR practitioners from the US, Asia, and Australia and detailed deliberations were held to discuss various aspects of VR sustainability. I am developing a website to disseminate the activities and learning from the SSI fellowship. Over time, I hope this website can bring together fellow XR enthusiasts interested in sustainable practices. As Max Planck stated precisely: ‘When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change’. I am grateful for the enhanced perspective from being an international fellow of the SSI and I look forward to continuing learning, networking, and contributing towards sustainable VR practices.