XR Economies Lab
Pioneering Immersive Technology Research
About the Research Group
XR Economies Lab leads research on how augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed‑reality and augmented virtuality reshape consumer experiences.
Driven by a mission to create engaging, responsible and sustainable interactions, the lab uncovers the psychological triggers that guide shopper decisions, brand perception and purchase pathways, giving brands a strategic edge in the immersive market.
By merging gamification with extended reality, XR Economies Lab designs playful, ethical experiences that deepen user engagement while preserving autonomy. At the same time, the lab embeds sustainability and ethical considerations into every AR, VR, MR and AV solution, ensuring that the rapid growth of immersive technology supports responsible consumption and broader societal goals.
Through rigorous experimentation and interdisciplinary collaboration, XR Economies Lab delivers insights that not only advance academic knowledge but also guide retailers, marketers and developers toward innovative, ethical and sustainable practices in today’s fast‑evolving digital economy.
Key Facts
XREaL consists of 15 people.
Our Approach
- Experiment‑based, data‑driven research – We rely on rigorous empirical methods to deliver trustworthy, evidence‑backed insights.
- Applied science of gaming technologies – Our work transforms AR/VR, gamification and immersive systems into practical solutions for diverse business contexts, driving performance, engagement and innovation.
- Responsible and sustainable business practices – We prioritize ethical deployment, long‑term viability and eco‑friendly strategies for all immersive and gamified solutions.
- International collaboration & cross‑cultural understanding – By partnering with global institutions and fostering multicultural teams, we broaden the impact and relevance of our research worldwide.
Examples of Our Projects
GAMETH: Gamified Services towards Sustainable Ends with Ethical Means
Timeline: 2022–2024
🔗 Project Website
GAMETH was a three‑year initiative funded by the Liikesivistysrahasto (Foundation for Economic Education) that examined how gamification could be harnessed ethically to achieve sustainable outcomes. The project was led by Dr Nannan Xi as principal investigator and supported by Dr Samaan Al‑Masalm, Dr Lewen Wei and doctoral researcher Ginnie Guillen. It empirically tested which gamified designs fostered consumer literacy, responsible attitudes and decision‑making while remaining non‑controlling, non‑invasive and non‑competitive. By integrating findings from three work packages, GAMETH reconciled the dual goals of sustainability and ethical practice, delivering evidence‑based guidelines for responsible gamification in business, marketing and public policy.
Funded by LSR Foundation.
VIRTUMER: Virtual Consumer in Mixed Realities
How does virtual reality, augmented reality and augmented virtuality reshape shopping experience?
🔗 Project Website
The VIRTUMER project investigates how mixed‑reality technologies—augmented reality, virtual reality and augmented virtuality—reshape shopping experiences and drive consumer engagement in retail. The research tackles three core questions: the current state and business applications of mixed reality, the differing impacts of AR, VR and AV on consumer behavior, and the attitudes, beliefs and demographic factors that predict shoppers’ willingness to adopt these technologies.
Funded by KAUTE foundation.
Research Group Leader
Nannan Xi
Group Leader
Associate Professor
✉️ nannan.xi@tuni.fi
🔗 TUNI ● Google Scholar ● LinkedIn ● ResearchGate
Nannan is a tenure‑track Associate Professor specializing in gamification and immersive technologies. She leads the XR Economies Lab within the Research Centre of Gameful Realities at Tampere University.
Her research agenda centers on game‑based approaches—including gamification, gameful systems, augmented/virtual/mixed reality, the metaverse, multisensory modalities, wearables, and streaming technologies—and their application across information systems, management, retail, finance, consumer psychology, and organization studies.
Nannan’s work advances responsible consumption, sustainable decision‑making, harmonious organizational practices, and digital business transformation.
Our People
Samaan Al-Msallam
Post-Doctoral Researcher
Samaan is a Postdoctoral Researcher, with a Ph.D. in Marketing, whose work investigates consumer behavior, persuasive technology and the ethics of gamified and AI‑driven marketing. Leveraging experiments, large‑scale surveys and advanced statistical techniques, he uncovers how emerging technologies shape perceptions of fairness, trust and responsibility, offering actionable guidance for transparent, sustainable and consumer‑centric marketing practices.
✉️ samaan.al-msallam@tuni.fi
🔗 Google Scholar ● ResearchGate
Xinyi (Serena) Yang
Doctoral Researcher
Xinyi Yang is a doctoral researcher focused on consumer experience and marketing, investigating how extended reality, multisensory cues and gamification can enhance engagement and shape consumer behavior.
✉️ xinyi.yang@tuni.fi
🔗 Google Scholar ● LinkedIn
Galina Zvereva
Doctoral Researcher
Galina is a Doctoral Researcher, whose research investigates how gamification and game‑based approaches can boost ethics literacy, moral education and self‑regulated learning within organizational management; using mixed‑method designs to identify effective designs for ethical sense‑making and learning
✉️ galina.zvereva@tuni.fi
🔗 LinkedIn ● Project Website ● Google Scholar
Gong Qiao
Doctoral Researcher
Gong is a Doctoral Researcher, specializing in AI‑driven personalized gamification, and holds a BSc in Computer Science from UESTC and an MSc in Computing Science from the University of Glasgow. His work explores how artificial intelligence can tailor gamified experiences to enhance user engagement and ethical interaction.
Ans Ahmad
Doctoral Researcher
Ans’ doctoral research develops gamified approaches to mitigate cognitive biases and improve decision‑making in finance. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a master’s in Human‑Technology Interaction, where his thesis examined how immersive VR environments affect memory performance for financial data visualizations.
✉️ ans.ahmad@tuni.fi
🔗 LinkedIn ● Google Scholar
Shivang Gupta
Doctoral Researcher
Shivang’s doctoral research investigates consumer behavior in multisensory metaverse environments, focusing on how social interaction and haptic feedback in VR shape user experience, workload and memory recall. He holds a Master of Technology in Software Engineering from BITS Pilani and previously contributed to AI, information‑security and metaverse projects at SAP Labs India.
Hairui (Harry) Tang
Doctoral Researcher
Hairui (Harry) is a Doctoral Researcher, who researches how gamification and knowledge‑sharing mechanisms influence consumer literacy, attitudes and decision‑making on online platforms. His work builds on earlier experience in data processing, analysis and modeling of marketing activities across social media and e‑commerce environments.
Weichen Li
Research Assistant
Niko Väkiparta
Research Assistant
Remote & Visiting Researchers
Chengyuan Li
Visting Doctoral Researcher
Chengyuan is a Doctoral Researcher exploring how VR/XR and AI personalization shape consumer decision‑making and foster sustainable consumption in digital environments, using experimental methods to uncover behavioral dynamics within emerging technology contexts.
Xiuxiu Li
Visiting Doctoral Researcher