Exergames and the involvement of seniors
Ellen Brox
Norut (Northern Research Institute) Norway
SeGaMed December 2014
Norut
• Applied research institute• Multidisciplinary• 130 employees
• ICT – eHealth group– Serious games– Gamification– Exergames and Motivation
About
• Background -The importance to move• Eldergamers vs young gamers
• Requirements for elderly• User centred design – including examples
Health and exercise
Physical activity is always important• Benefits for physical and mental health
To be able to manage, elderly need • Balance• Strength of arms and legs• Flexibility• Endurance
• Bad circle with being afraid to fall and move too little
Exergames to motivate physical activity
Elderly vs kids
• Kids like– Lots of action– That things go fast– To search, discover– Funny sounds, lots of details
• Elderly– Little information at the time– Time to think– Their own speed– Light and contrasts– Not noisy
• But elderly still like to have fun!• And get a challenge
Challenges for elderly
Basically, we are the same persons, even if the wrapping changes, but elderly are still different
• Can suffer from severe mobility problems in arms and legs
• Eyesight• Hearing• Cognition
• Knowledge and confidentiality with technology is a challenge
• Often lack motivation for training• Can exergames motivate?
Projects
Several projects with exergames and gamification for elderly
• IsActive – walk simultaneously but not together• Join-In – online exergame• GameUp – exergames for mobility
• Online biking – bike together online
• Nettrim – test online exergaming
User centred design
User-centred design (UCD) is a process in which the needs, wants, and limitations of end users of a product, service or process are given extensive attention at each stage of the design process (wikipedia)
multi-stage problem solving process– analyse and foresee how users are
likely to use a product– test the validity of the assumptions
Why user centred design?
• See the health game from the users’ perspective
• Users are the ones who shall use it• Success depend on them
– Be able to use it– Wanting to use it– Use it correctly
• Not always easy to imagine the users’reaction
• Very hard for a young person to understand the limitations of age
When?
The entire project:
• Requirement gathering and analyses• Design• Development• Evaluation
Methods for user centred design
Some common methods
• Literature• Focus groups• Usability testing• Questionnaires• Interviews• Participatory design• Field studies• Card sorting
Eldergamers
• Important to involve the elderly in the entire process• Very difficult to recruite seniors
• Used senior centres• Involved employees to help• Established groups that meet regularly• It must be meaningful
• Might have to supply with new userssince some leave for several reasons
Commercial exergames
• Have been playing Wii and Kinect over time with people 70-95• Enjoy many games• Still may need help to
– Navigate – Start games (jump)– Understand– Get an overview
Wii and Kinect
• Challenges– Wii: batteries and calibrations– Wii: buttons– Kinect: need a lot of space + others– Both: difficult menus– Language
• Most games not suitable due to– Speed– Amount of information– Colours and contrast
Kinect chosen for exergaming
• We prefer Kinect over Wii for elderly:– No batteries– Easy calibration– Easier to play two together– Not much equipment– More intuitive to navigate and play
– Can monitor exercises• Exercises defined by physiotherapists• Playable in several levels• Can calibrate for each user’s abilities
Our methods
Requirements: commercial games, literature, observations and group discussions
Design: tested movement, interface, colours, etc.
Observations, group discussions, semi-structured interviews
Implementation: iterative trials of exergames
Observations, group discussions, semi-structured interviews
Evaluations: trials of prototypes with new participants
Structured and semi-structured interviews, questionnaires
Example of changes based on user feedback
Some early changes:• Lighter background• Better contrast sky/tree• Contrast apples / tree• Apple signs visible
• Buckets lifted• Head on stick man• Moving cloud removed• More blue, less green•
Change examples
Menu colours
• Tested several menu colours
• Was too much, they got exhausted
• Difficult to get the real opinion!
Main menu
Gamification with social elements
• Stepcounters• Cycling app
Stepcounter
App with personal and group goals
Interface suited for elderly
Cycling app
A tablet that can be strapped to a stationary bike
Cycle at the same time, see who else do
Google streetview
Conclusions
• The users are extremely important at all stages!
• It is difficult for the young imagine limitations of age
• It is difficult to recruite elderly, so team up with senior centres etc.
• Cannot have many long questionnairs
• Don’t forget that elderly also like fun – and challenges
Thank you!
[email protected]: ellenbroxTwitter: ellentos+47 934 19 285