Women With Impact #31 - Ylva Hansdotter
Welcome back to Women With Impact, a newsletter all about the journeys of mission-driven women and how they have a positive impact in our world.
I’m Clara Richter and this is the 31st edition of Women With Impact. If you enjoy this issue, please share it with a friend and like it above.
For this edition, I interviewed Dr. Ylva Hansdotter, an extended reality (XR) expert and entrepreneur at the forefront of integrating technology with social impact. Through her work with XR Impact and various advisory roles, including with the EU Commission, she focuses on how XR technologies can influence behaviour, foster empathy, and drive progress towards a more sustainable and inclusive society. Ylva’s academic background is interdisciplinary within Management, Computer and Behavioural Science; she recently completed her PhD, where her research focused on the use of positive and immersive storytelling to stimulate prosocial action.
Wishing you a pleasant read!
Best,
Clara
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The Journey
Who are you and how do you spend your time?
I am an XR expert and entrepreneur focused on how XR technologies can shape behaviours, foster empathy, and contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive society. One of my key initiatives is XR Impact, a non-profit organisation that leverages XR to inspire action towards the Global Goals. I also hold advisory roles with the EU Commission, a few private entities, and two XR startups, where I explore how XR intersects with real-world challenges and opportunities. My days are incredibly varied; filled with research, strategic consulting, and hands-on work across a wide range of initiatives that use virtual and augmented reality to create a positive impact.
What do you think is most important in creating positive change?
I truly believe that the key to making the world a better place is about understanding. We naturally care more about people we know and understand. The same goes for problems – when we understand them, we want to solve them. Empathy and kindness aren't just traits we are born with; they are something we can develop and refine – and understanding is the cornerstone. This is where my fascination for XR comes in. It's an incredible tool for seeing the world through someone else's eyes. With XR, we can experience lives very different from our own, visit places we can't normally go to, and see things from new perspectives. This not only builds understanding but also fosters a deep sense of connection, which undoubtedly leads to positive change. I know I am very optimistic, but my optimism is supported by decades of research, including my own. XR has this great power to help us understand, and that is a big step closer to making things better.
What is a recent success you are proud of?
Recently, I'm particularly proud of a climate-action VR experience we created at XR Impact; “Be Earth #13”. It immerses participants in the Amazon rainforest and illustrates the critical impact of human activities on climate. Combining VR with behavioural science, we've created an engaging, educational tool that really changes the way participants think and act. Changing behaviours is always hard, but when it comes to climate action it is even harder as some of the negative consequences of climate change happens “somewhere else” of in the future. The experience has been tested in a research experiment, demonstrating its ability to inspire real-world change, and that's something I am really proud of.
The Lessons
What has been the most rewarding experience on your journey?
The most rewarding experience for me has been the collaboration with different people across our XR initiatives. For example, working alongside climate scientists, artists, experts in VR and behavioural change on projects like 'Be Earth #13' has not only increased my own understanding but was key to making an experience that presents data in a form that makes a variety of people feel and act on it. Seeing our collective efforts result in an experience that supports understanding, compassion, and real-world impact was incredibly rewarding.
What’s a challenge you have encountered most often and how did you tackle it?
The most common challenge I face in my role as an advisor is balancing long-term holistic strategies and short-term goals. To be honest, I've often felt I haven't quite succeeded. These experiences have taught me the importance of having support – whether it's from mentors, team members, research, or other experts. What I have learned is that the need for support isn't just about my own expertise or experience, it's sometimes frustratingly linked to superficial factors like gender, race, age, etc. Recognising this has been part of my learning journey, and it has helped me focus on building robust support systems that can overcome biases and focus on the strength of the ideas and strategies we propose.
What is the best advice you have been given recently?
The best piece of advice I've received lately is to embrace simplicity. It is better to make ideas easy to understand and actions easy to execute, rather than exhaustively explore every aspect of a concept and trying to realise every potential it. This may seem obvious, but in practice, it's really, really hard, especially in the tech and innovation sector where there's a tendency to be fixated on the perfect outcome. I needed to be reminded that sometimes, the most impactful solutions are those that are the most accessible and easy to grasp.
The Inspiration
What resource do you think more people should make use of?
I believe more people should utilise the power of networks. In the XR community, we've seen incredible results from open-source projects and global collaborations. These networks not only support innovation but also ensures a wider range of voices and perspectives. Beyond formal networks, I also believe in engaging friends, distant business connections, industry experts, etc. Often, people are more than willing to lend a hand or share knowledge when they are approached with genuine interest and respect. For me, asking for help has several times led to unexpected opportunities and insights.
Who inspires you?
A lot of people inspire me. I have an almost naïve notion that everyone has both goodness and greatness within them – and I am inspired when people overcome difficult circumstances to show this as well as when people leverage their privilege for positive change. I am inspired by kindness and by people’s will to be better and do better. I am also deeply inspired by a text by Linda Hogan that ends “You are the results of the love of thousands”, reminding me about the profound connection we have with our past and the entire human race – and about our responsibility to spread this love in our actions and choices.
Enjoyed this or have any feedback? Let me know in the comments!
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