Redesign and New Evaluation of a Pervasive Game for Older Adults

Alberto Urquía

, Jesús Gallardo

, Raquel Lacuesta

, Joan-Josep Ordóñez-Bonet

and Silvia Ramis-Guarinos

University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain

Department of Computing and Systems Engineering, Aragon Institute for Engineering Research (I3A),

University of Zaragoza, Teruel, Spain

Department of Mathematics and Computing, University of Illes Balears, Palma, Spain

Keywords: Pervasive Games, Older Adults, User Experience, Accessibility.

Abstract: Older adults are a growing segment of the population. Many aspects of technology could help this sector

improve different facets of their daily lives. One such aspect is video games, something with which older

adults are becoming increasingly familiar. Within video games, a field that has grown a lot in recent years is

that of pervasive games, those that break some of the classic spatial, temporal or social limits that classic

video games have. Following this trend, we developed a pervasive mobile game designed for older adults

inspired by Pokémon Go that consisted of players having to move through a physical space to locate real

objects that would allow them to unlock memories that were stored in an album. The game had a lot of room

for improvement in terms of its visual aspect, and to improve it a redesign and evaluation has been carried

out, resulting in a new interface for the application, along with a series of modifications to the game mechanics

and introduction of additional ones that allow branching the game experience towards different profiles and

needs. In addition, the problems related to its accessibility and usability have been addressed through a series

of considerations that can be extrapolated to the design of applications for older adults.

1 INTRODUCTION

We are presently witnessing a rise in the demographic

segment often referred to as older adults, which

includes individuals aged 65 and above. Recognizing

the importance of taking advantage of their learning

capabilities, it becomes crucial to involve them in

initiatives that foster their personal development

(Morillas and Martínez, 2013). In Spain, computer

games dominate the landscape of digital

entertainment, constituting over half of total time

spent in leisure activities. It's noteworthy that

computer games are no longer restricted to children

and young adults; they are now used by various age

groups. This shift is attributed, in part, to the rise of

the so-called serious games, which are used for

purposes beyond mere entertainment, such as

socialization and education.

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9895-0837

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4773-4904

https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7536-1874

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1039-4387

The Spanish Association of Video Games (AEVI)

reports that 47% of the global revenue from computer

games is generated by mobile games, showing a

significant annual growth rate (12.8% more than in

2017) (AEVI, 2019). This trend shows the reality that

smartphones have become the primary platform for

engaging in computer games.

Additionally, involving older adults in

Information and Communication Technologies is

crucial for bridging the digital divide, which can

otherwise lead to exclusion and dependency for those

not integrated into the information society. Once

again, computer games play a crucial role. A study

(Allaire et al., 2013) involving 140 participants with

an average age of 77.5 years revealed that those who

played computer games regularly or occasionally

exhibited better socio-emotional outcomes than those

who had never engaged in such games.

114

Urquía, A., Gallardo, J., Lacuesta, R., Ordóñez-Bonet, J.-J. and Ramis-Guarinos, S.

Redesign and New Evaluation of a Pervasive Game for Older Adults.

DOI: 10.5220/0013426700003938

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies for Ageing Well and e-Health (ICT4AWE 2025), pages 114-125

ISBN: 978-989-758-743-6; ISSN: 2184-4984

When developing software tailored for older

adults, including computer games, specific

requirements must be considered. Given that older

adults are now entering the field of computer games,

finding appropriate motivation for their participation

is essential. Adopting a user-centered approach in the

design and implementation of the game proves to be

an effective strategy.

The evolution of computer games aligns with

technological advancements throughout history. In

recent years, a new paradigm, pervasive games, has

emerged. Pervasive games (Montola, 2005) transcend

traditional boundaries in terms of spatial, temporal,

and social dimensions. Popularized by games like

Pokémon Go, these experiences use novel

technologies such as virtual/augmented reality or

geolocation, extending gameplay beyond the confines

of traditional computer games.

Taking the aforementioned into account, we have

carried out the redesign and a new evaluation for the

game EncuentraTe. This is a pervasive game for its

use in mobile phones whose initial idea and previous

studies were carried out by the AffectiveLab research

team at Teruel. The initial design used augmented

reality to display different historical and cultural

memories, both local and national, appealing to the

interest of older adults, when walking throughout a

physical space and finding some physical objects. Its

users are the people staying at a residential complex

in the city of Teruel, Spain. The development of the

game was supervised by the therapists of the

complex, and older adults themselves participated in

the development of the game.

Specifically, the goal of this work is the redesign

and evaluation of the mobile application

aforementioned, resulting in a new interface for the

application, along with a series of modifications in the

game mechanics and the introduction of additional

ones that allow branching the game experience

towards different profiles and needs. In addition, the

problems related to accessibility and usability are

addressed through a series of considerations that can

be extrapolated to the design of applications for older

adults.

The first step in our work is a study that makes use

of several techniques for the analysis of the game in

order to its further redesign. One of the tools used is

the Microsoft Inclusive Design Toolkit, which has

been analyzed and adapted for use in this context.

Different activities of the toolkit have been used to

understand the problem, draw conclusions, devise

and adapt the final design.

Also, surveys and interviews with the players

themselves have been conducted to study in depth

their behavior, their relationship with the application

and the various issues that arise in the initial design.

Other interviews with workers of this sector, such as

therapists and administrative staff, shed light on their

experiences, exercises and rehabilitation activities

that are exercised to achieve the well-being of the

residents.

Heuristics have also been adapted from existing

ones (Desurvire and Wiberg, 2009; Pinelle et al.,

2008) to be useful for the current working context.

These series of points to be reviewed allows to

identify the problems to be solved in the redesign

phase.

After all this step of analysis, the redesign itself

has been carried out. The construction of the

prototype is essential to test how users react to the

final interface and to resolve certain details of the

interface that don't quite work. Then, an attempt was

made to adapt the design to as many users as possible,

taking into account physical, cognitive, sensory, etc.

limitations they may have. This way, it is possible to

achieve greater accessibility and avoid the exclusion

of certain users.

Finally, a survey similar to the one initially

provided has been carried out to the users who have

tested the new design, in order to compare both and

extract the degree of improvement with respect to key

aspects and new functionalities. After this analysis, a

series of conclusions of the project are listed,

including different observations and final

considerations, the difficulties encountered

throughout the development, possible avenues for

future work and a brief personal assessment.

2 COMPUTER GAMES

ORIENTED TOWARDS OLDER

ADULTS

In recent years, there has been a notable rise in game

development designed for older adults, accompanied

by valuable findings guiding the creation of video

games for adults. Several noteworthy studies in this

field will be outlined below. In (Cota et al., 2015),

researchers inquired into factors influencing the

engagement of older adults in mobile games. Their

approach involved constructing a game catalogue to

identify preferred genres among the target population.

Subsequently, a game named "Traveling the World"

was developed, featuring various mini-games aligned

with the genre preferences that were identified.

Through this effort, the researchers detailed some

motivating elements for older adults, such as the fact

Redesign and New Evaluation of a Pervasive Game for Older Adults

115

that when players interact with the game, there should

be a clear result. Also, the game should get a bit

harder over time, and the rules should be simple. It

was also noticed that information about why playing

is beneficial is essential, and the game should be easy

to see and use, with clear images and good color

contrast.

Another interesting example is detailed in (Mubin

et al., 2008). This mobile game combines a traditional

card-matching game with the quest for specific

physical locations, thus implying a pervasive aspect.

Called "Walk2Win," this collaborative game,

following evaluation, led to recommendations such as

maximizing audience reach, minimizing rules,

incorporating elements from familiar games,

eliminating gender distinctions, and allowing for

customizable environments.

Another kind of game encourages older people to

do exercises using devices like Microsoft Kinect.

This could be for rehabilitation or just staying active.

An example is in (Gerling et al., 2011), where the

authors used Nintendo Wii to create

"SilverPromenade", a game which simulates virtual

walks with accompanying mini-games. Insights

drawn from this experience emphasized the

importance of carefully exploring the capabilities of

the target audience, choosing metaphors that lead to

easy game entry, and designing games to

accommodate a diverse range of players and

situations.

Finally, another activity for adults, which shares

some aspects with the game we have redesigned,

involves the use of virtual or augmented reality with

the goal of stimulating players' memory, as seen in the

Virtual Maze Task (Cárdenas-Delgado et al., 2017).

While not explicitly presented as a game by its

authors, this activity incorporates gamification

elements, requiring users to learn routes in a maze.

The study conducted by the authors explored the

differences in satisfaction, interaction, and other

aspects between an immersive approach and physical

activity.

3 EncuentraTe: A PERVASIVE

GAME FOR OLDER ADULTS

In this section we will put into context the game

EncuentraTe (Pérez et al., 2021), which is the

augmented reality-based pervasive game that has

been redesigned in this work. We will detail aspects

of the analysis, design and implementation of the

game.

The goal of the project was to develop a pervasive

game to enhance the quality of life for older adults by

keeping them active, mentally engaged, and socially

connected. The game was designed collaboratively

with the input of residents, staff, and the development

team of a senior residential complex. The design

process involved a user-centered approach, including

meetings and observations.

In a first meeting of the analysis phase, staff and

developers conceptualized a game where players

locate elements in the complex to unlock memories

stored in an album, using augmented reality. With the

term “memory” we are referring to the description of

a an old song or movie, a famous person, a legend

from long ago, etc. The second meeting was a focus

group involving residents. There, the approach was

validated and categories for memories were defined.

Observations revealed diverse resident profiles,

requiring adaptations to meet varying needs.

The game was developed for Android using the

Unity engine, with Google Firebase for backend

support and Vuforia for augmented reality. The user

interface is tailored for older adults, featuring large,

clear buttons, simple fonts, and minimal navigation

complexity. The gameplay involves locating specific

images in the real world, which, when focused on

through the device's camera, display virtual buttons.

Tapping these buttons unlocks memories categorized

into themes (e.g., culture, sports) and provides

multimedia content (images, videos, texts, etc.).

Players receive encouragement and medals for

progress, with the option to view unlocked memories

in an album or compare scores via a ranking system.

The visual design mimics an old album with paper

and leather textures, offering a traditional aesthetic

aligned with the app's theme of memories. A fully

functional version of the application was obtained,

which was tested with older adults, obtaining

valuable feedback for its subsequent improvement.

4 ANALYSIS STAGE

In this section of the paper we will explain the

different activities that have been carried out to

perform the analysis prior to the redesign of the

application.

4.1 Context Analysis

Firstly, the sequence of use that a player follows has

been detailed. This has been achieved dividing in key

tasks the different screens and actions that must be

followed to perform the registration, the main game

ICT4AWE 2025 - 11th International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies for Ageing Well and e-Health

116

mechanics and the complementary elements such as

ranking and collectibles. An example of this can be

seen in Figure 1. It has been necessary to make

explicit the information displayed on each screen in

order to, subsequently, correctly analyze and

understand the stimuli perceived by the user, while

listing them sequentially.

Figure 1: Analysis of the sequence of use of the registration

task.

Next, an investigation has been carried out on the

applications that are focused on older adults and that

allow them to adapt the functionalities of their phone

to their needs, provide them with entertainment, a real

benefit or an improvement in their daily life. They

have been classified into different sections:

adaptation of the mobile device, health, entertainment

and mental exercise, intergenerational connection,

Augmented Reality and AR aimed exclusively at

seniors.

4.2 Inclusive Design

Once the context in which this game experience is

framed has been studied, it is necessary to find the key

aspects to take into account to focus on the player and

the accessibility of the application, for which we have

based on the Inclusive design framework by

Microsoft.

There is a wide spectrum in terms of the degree of

limitation experienced by users of the range of age

that qualifies them as older adults. As for the context

of use of the game we are dealing with -a residential

complex-, it will be a controlled space most of the

time, whose environmental conditions can be

regulated to provide an optimal context for play: good

lighting, ample space, low noise, etc. In any case, a

design focused on the physical limitations of its users

will allow the experience to be adapted to other less

favorable environmental contexts.

Having listed the physical and cultural limitations

suffered by these users, as well as the benefits that this

technology can bring them, which should be pursued

with this design, it is necessary to analyze the

activities and dynamics proposed by this toolkit. First

of all, a description of each one of them and how they

would fit within our interests has been made, to later

choose the most relevant ones to be applied. As a

result of this study, four activities have been chosen

from among those proposed by the toolkit and have

been rethought for their adaptation to the design for

older adults.

Specifically, the activities chosen are the

following:

1. Trust in technology. It is necessary to identify

what actions they would not trust a machine to

perform, focusing on whether they see themselves

capable of transmitting the command or that the

program is capable of executing it correctly. It is

necessary to know to what extent older adults are

willing to give leisure time to a new device and how

they react to the commands or suggestions it throws

at them.

2. Network of people. This activity deals with

knowledge about the design challenges in the

personal ecosystem of an elder. This should list the

interactions between these people during the game

and how they relate to each other. It is important that

the game experience is not solitary and that it allows

them to interact both socially and to encourage

curiosity and learning.

3. Disagreement with the solution. Here, the

activity proposes to list specific problems associated

with one or more elders to improve and adapt their

experience in the application and then note and

discuss possible solutions to them. From the problems

that will be encountered first hand and through the

experience of the players themselves, it is possible to

collect ideas or functions that solve and enhance the

satisfaction produced by the game.

4. Situational adaptation. The idea here is to look

for other contexts and constraints encountered by

older adults and compare the experience they would

have using the designed application. Subsequently,

this will continue by adapting and redesigning the

interactions with these cases in mind.

4.3 Design Principles for Older Adults

From the study of the context and the design process

behind these user-centered experiences, different

specific characteristics have been crossed from an

analysis between different applications and video

games aimed at an older audience. The goal is to

extract a series of common principles that, when

applied during the design of an application targeting

this type of users, will improve and facilitate their

introduction and understanding of both the medium

Redesign and New Evaluation of a Pervasive Game for Older Adults

117

and the interaction with the mobile device.

Exemplified through their inclusion and design

philosophy in different specific titles, added to other

information gathered from previous studies, they

have been divided among the different sections that

make up the gaming experience. These categories and

some of the points defined in each category are listed

below.

a. General attributes.

- Simple.

- Accessible.

- Guided.

- It provides a benefit.

- Progress can be made mechanically (not

introducing new complex mechanics).

- It does not depend on quick reflexes or

coordination of actions.

- Clear, simple and concise idea or premise.

b. In-game development.

- The same basic mechanics with which the

tutorial is made are maintained.

- Difficulty can be increased by increasing the

number of elements on the screen or the number of

similar actions to be performed, but the learning curve

should be very gentle.

c. Game mechanics

- Few and intuitive controls. On the case of

mobile devices: one or two movements (swipe finger

on screen, tilt via gyroscope, search via camera)

instead of simulating physical buttons on the screen.

- Do not overlap different gestures to control

the game. If you choose to use swiping, you would

only need to use this gesture in the 4 directions

throughout the game. The same would be true if you

choose to tilt the device.

d. Menu

- Immediacy to start playing. Avoid

registrations and data entry as much as possible, make

it easy to enter as a guest or without a profile.

- Clearly highlight the main option "Play" or

start the game directly when it is opened for the first

time.

e. Interface

- Properly distinguish each section of the

application to avoid mistakes.

- Use as few simultaneous lines of text as

possible, divide the text into simple sentences that the

user can move forward and accompany them with

voice narration.

4.4 Use Analysis

Once the design process to be followed has been

defined, it is necessary to study the players and their

needs based on their relationships and interaction

with both the application and their environment,

discovering the key aspects to be taken into account

in the redesign. This step has implied: (i) carrying out

surveys and interviews, (ii) the study of therapeutic

and learning activities, (iii) the activity about

confidence in technology proposed by the Inclusive

toolkit, and (iv) the network of people, also from the

toolkit. All these activities will be explained in the

following subsections.

4.4.1 Survey and Interviews

Based on a series of surveys already submitted after

the first experience in the context of the residential

complex, another one of similar format was designed

with the objective of evaluating and finding different

functionality problems in the current interface of the

application.

When examining the results, some problems were

clearly identified: problems in the registration section,

some functions that were not clear, or that lack interest

for the players. There were also some problems with

the visual section and the visualization and interaction

with some buttons. Similarly, it was identified some

confusion when it came to easily identify the icons

with the section of the application they represent. The

first attempt often leads to error, having to discard the

other options to reach the desired section.

These observations were relevant in order to raise

the questions and experiences that we were interested

in unraveling in the interview with the players and

therapists to make a correct evaluation of the

application, delving more deeply into the conflictive

points to be corrected and the positive points to be

strengthened.

In the management and preparation of the game by

the workers, the following considerations stand out:

- Each image to be captured is printed twice. There

are two variants of this game: one is assisted (those

who use wheelchairs and have physical limitations),

where the photos are projected in a room, and the

second is for players with greater autonomy, for whom

the photos are placed in a corridor where they usually

walk, in elevators, halls and multipurpose rooms.

- In order to incentivize the game and encourage

older adults to try it, meetings are held with the self-

employed, explaining that it is an experience created

for them and urging them to investigate it.

Some of the most important points commented by

players regarding their experience with the game and

the use of new technology:

- Overall, it is fun and entertaining. It is very

stimulating to discuss with other players the different

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memories and where to find them, although they have

difficulty retrieving them and finding where they are

stored.

- When starting to play and during most of the

games, they have to turn to one of the therapists to

solve their doubts (login, screen blocking, exiting a

section they have accessed unintentionally, etc.).

They also often ask each other many of these

difficulties.

Finally, some of the usability issues encountered

by seniors during their gaming sessions are as

follows:

- During registration, problems with the email, as

it does not remember it when the user logs out. This,

added to the lack of password confirmation, leads to

the creation of new profiles by mistake. In addition,

the use of English terms (login, password) confuses

them.

- The photos do not correspond to the memories,

which generates confusion for them, although it is

really designed that way, playing with the surprise

factor, but the result is not satisfactory. The first one

could be directly related.

By cross-referencing the results between surveys

and interviews, it is possible to determine the causes

of some of these drawbacks. For instance, although

the application remembers the account and the player

can enter without having to log in, having to change

device at each game session forces the player to have

to enter it. In addition, it is not possible to log out of

the account created within the app. This forces

players to have to create new accounts.

Due to the problem with registrations, loss of

accounts and other access-related problems, the

ranking is completely unusable. In addition, the

interest of players is more in collaboration than in

competition, so this method does not result in

incentive or motivation to play.

4.4.2 Therapeutic and Learning Activities

Thanks to the collaboration of occupational therapists

of a nursing home, we have investigated some of the

adapted activities that they present to their residents

with therapeutic and rehabilitation objectives. Some

of them are aligned with the interests and needs that

the developed application tries to cover. Listed below

are some of these dynamics and how it would be

possible to adapt the design to offer a useful tool, in

addition to the segment of users present in each of

them:

- Reminiscence: Activity aimed at cognitively

impaired older adults with Alzheimer, dementia or

other cognitive impairment. It consists of evoking

memories or personal experiences of the person from

different objects (photographs, trophies, perfume,

toys) that represent their personal tastes or relevant

anecdotes with which they have an emotional

connection. This activity relates to the basics of the

play experience, i.e., finding photographs of their

environment and history with which they may be

familiar, evoking a memory or experience. For the

purpose of including the conversational part of the

activity, the inclusion of being able to leave

comments and interactions between players about

what each memory evokes can be a positive exercise

that emotionally connects some of them.

- Montessori method: Initially developed as an

educational method for children, many elder care

centers adapt these activities for use with their

residents who suffer from various physical or mental

limitations. The goal is to give older adults a sense of

success by completing tasks through small steps that

improve their memory and self-esteem. In the

EncuentraTe application, this is related to the

relationship of each of the memories in its category,

distinguished by colors, in addition to teamwork to

carry out a clear task.

- Digital education activities: In these day centers,

various recreational activities, workshops and classes

are held for older adults. One of these workshops

consists of computer workshops, where older adults

are taught the multimedia center offered by a PC and

its recreational possibilities.

- Architecture and space for dementia patients:

The ideal architecture, which presents an innovation

that has already been incorporated by nursing homes

in other countries such as Germany, would be that of

a common, central, circular ramp, where older adults

can wander freely, and are presented with different

plates with stimuli that they can touch, pick up and

play with through the sense of touch and hearing.

4.4.3 Confidence in Technology

In this activity, corresponding to one of the activities

in the Inclusive Toolkit by Microsoft, an older adult,

who owns a personal mobile device, was interviewed.

After identifying the actions that he relegates to

technology in his daily life and listing the

observations and difficulties that arise around this

relationship, it is possible to draw a series of

conclusions in order to overcome this lack of

confidence and incorporate them into the new design.

The conclusions are the following:

- To enhance physicality with gestures, vibrations

and stimuli that bring tactile interaction with their

physical counterparts closer.

Redesign and New Evaluation of a Pervasive Game for Older Adults

119

- To adapt symbols and language that it is

assumed that the user knows (e.g., play, power,

source, e-mail) to something more intuitive. It is

possible to use similes in a context with which they

are familiar.

- To associate the position of the button with its

function rather than the symbol that represents it.

- To introduce a tool with which they can

communicate and have something similar to a

conversation in order to become familiar with a

device or function they are unfamiliar with.

4.4.4 People Network

Following another activity adapted from the Inclusive

Toolkit, the relationships that exist in the game

context and the player's social ecosystem have been

graphically represented. This is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Diagram representing the agents involved and the

relationship between them.

In this ecosystem of interactions between

different individuals, it is possible to observe the

following:

- Willingness to cooperate and develop social

skills with other players.

- To strengthen family relationships through

knowledge of the possibilities of the mobile device as

a recreational and communication tool.

- Exclusion of certain residents who have not been

introduced in the game during sessions or in

conversation topics. Tools should be included to

share the experience, even if they are not directly

playing.

4.5 Heuristic Evaluation

In parallel to the analysis of the use and the user, an

adapted set of heuristics has been developed based on

the heuristics described in the related work section

and the design principles previously compiled. Due to

comprehension problems, each section has been

adapted to the questions asked verbally and in the

questionnaire itself. Then, these experiences and

problems have been transferred to the heuristics to

evaluate the current design of the application, as the

different sections are fulfilled to obtain an optimal,

usable and adaptable design for older players.

The heuristics are divided into several sections,

with their corresponding subsections: gameplay,

emotional immersion and usability and game

mechanics. In each one, it is represented by a color if

it is fulfilled, it can be improved or it is not fulfilled,

accompanied by a comment that highlights the strong

point to enhance or the problematic to correct.

4.6 Conclusions of the Process

After carrying out the full study, following the

methodologies and activities described in the

previous subsections, some of the conclusions drawn

in each of the fields are listed below:

a. In terms of gameplay, game progress,

challenges to overcome and goals to achieve:

- The tasks to be performed are entertaining for

players in the medium-short term, as they are a

stimulating novelty, being the arrangement of the

photographs what determines the difficulty and

variety.

- There are no failure or defeat states, no time or

skill pressure to frustrate players, and the feedback is

always positive (medals, achievements and score).

b. In the field of emotional immersion we find the

following observations:

- The game does not use humor, nor sympathetic

elements with which the player feels in a comfortable,

informal and playful space. Its only contact with these

elements are the memories and the own anecdotes

that the user gets to remember by knowing these

items, appealing to nostalgia, although the interest of

the players is also to be able to access more current

events.

- Audio, text and images are present in these

memories, but perhaps it would be necessary to have

more support in audiovisual content to achieve better

immersion and attention.

c. In the area of usability and the game mechanics

themselves, we conclude the following points:

- The entry barrier is very high for an older adult,

who does not know the necessary steps to enter a

digital application. This, together with the lack of

tutorial and guidance of the player throughout the

course of the game, makes external assistance strictly

necessary both for registration, something that causes

frustration in them and that must be remembered in

each game session, and to start playing. Including an

avatar/pet for users to empathize with and serve as an

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assistant during the game experience could be a

solution for them to become self-sufficient with the

use of the application.

- Once the mechanics have been internalized, the

player may be able to play independently, although

they will continually need the assistance of personnel

external to the game, such as for screens they have

inadvertently entered, remembering the user they

entered with, etc.

d. As final considerations, some of the small

interface details to be modified that would

significantly improve usability would be the

following:

- Correct the consistency with the names. The

medals section is named as badges when getting a

souvenir.

- Correct the consistency with the icons. The

album is represented with different images.

- Correct the consistency with the typography and

its sizes, in addition to using a more legible one for

the titles.

5 REDESIGN STAGE

Taking the conclusions gathered in the study phase as

a basis, it is possible to focus the application redesign

process to solve the problems detected and enhance

its strengths, improving its accessibility and

adaptability, with the aim of defining the concept to

be prototyped. In the following subsections we are

going to detail the phases of the redesign of the

application.

5.1 Ideation

Following the activity "Discordance with the

solution", adapted from the Inclusive Toolkit by

Microsoft, the most important problems or aspects to

be improved and the solution chosen for each one of

them, which has been selected through the generation

of ideas, are listed below.

a. Need for constant assistance from therapists,

both to start playing for the first time or in a session

and during the game.

- Inclusion of an avatar or mascot that the player

empathizes with and "trusts" to guide him/her through

the application and motivate him/her to continue

playing.

b. To promote team play and socialization.

- Creation of clans where collaboration is needed

to unlock certain memories.

- Obtaining medals/achievements by adding up

the progress of several players.

c. Problems with the register, its understanding

and reminder of the accounts.

- Use a physical item that can be scanned.

d. Lack of motivation and knowledge of the

objectives and achievements offered by the game.

- Focus on the progress bar and the amount of

memories that remain to be discovered.

5.2 Assistant

In order to guide, assist and motivate the player to

continue playing and complete their objectives, a

mascot has been created to appear in the game space

and in the different menus. It is the representation of

a photograph (souvenir), which holds a magnifying

glass, which is the characteristic element of the

videogame. The graphical appearance of the assistant

can be seen in Figure 3.

The first time the user enters the application, this

mascot will guide him/her through the tutorial, then

show what his next goal is (capturing memories and

completing categories) and congratulate the player on

each of his progress. It is important to talk to him and

use a colloquial tone with which the player feels

comfortable and empathizes, establishing a link with

the video game itself.

Figure 3: Design of the new assistant mascot.

5.3 Content Structure

Figure 4 shows the entire content of the application

and how the different sections are structured. The

wizard balloon is introduced in the sections where the

player needs some context and additional information

about its function. It is also present in the play area

(real space) contextualized within the Augmented

Reality environment. It is possible for the player to

click on it to get more help when needed. With respect

to the initial design, the team and profile functions

have also been introduced, in addition to the

unification of the medal section and the album

section.

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Figure 4: Structural diagram of the application's content.

5.4 Wireframes

The sequence of use that players must follow to

complete each of the tasks has been defined in a series

of wireframes. Every screen that will be displayed in

the application is represented in a schematic way. An

example of this is shown in Figure 5.

The main tasks that the players will have to

perform and that should be optimized to the

maximum are:

- Profile creation.

- Memory capture.

- Open a memory from the album.

- To be part of a group.

Figure 5. Fragment of the sequence of use of a task.

5.5 Additional Functionality

Next, and as a complement to these tasks described

from the sketches of the screens and interfaces

through which the user will navigate, we list some of

the additional (secondary) functionalities that would

further improve the players' experience, trying to

adapt the game to the different profiles and

conceptualized from sketches. These are:

- Capture of memory fragments. split some

memories into different fragments. Each fragment

can be captured by a different member of the same

group, to increase the collaboration and interaction of

the players outside the game, communicating with

each other to capture the missing memory.

- Collaborative competition. By joining a team in

the same way as they would get a souvenir, they start

sharing the scrapbook. In the social tab it is possible

to see the album of the other teams and who is the

player who has contributed the most within each

team, as well as the completed categories.

- Assisted mode. It is intended to cover the need

for assisted play that is practiced in the residence for

those with mobility limitations. This is achieved by

adapting the game so that the memories appear in AR

(generated by the application itself) in front of the

user without the need to move to scan it, just by

clicking on it.

- Quick access. To avoid the problem of lost

accounts due to forgotten passwords, this system

based on user cards would allow users to quickly

access their progress without having to re-enter their

credentials. This code can be printed in card format.

5.6 Adaption of the Level of Difficulty

The current design of the application allows it to be

adapted to different user segments, either by

modifying the difficulty or by including other

functionalities that serve as digital learning or have a

therapeutic sense. In this sense, we have ordered the

contents aimed at each target through the increase in

complexity and functionalities of the application.

The type of content that is classified in the

application as "Memories" is also important for

targeting different segments of players, as it is

necessary to appeal to their interests to motivate play.

It is possible to tailor this content in different ways:

- Personal and player-adapted reminiscence:

exercises for reminiscence in players with cognitive

limitations and dementia.

- Memories of the locality, events and culture

common to a specific and limited group: This is the

case of the current application, focused on Aragon

and Teruel in particular, with most of the cultural

events that had an impact on past generations.

- Thematic memories focused on other places and

cultures: With an educational objective, the player

can visit and learn about other locations in the country

or other cultures, and can identify specific

experiences if he/she has been in contact with any of

them.

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- Current memories: This is a way of knowing

what is going on around them, news or events that

have happened recently that may capture the interest

of some players who do not have the means or

motivation to keep up to date. This alternative can

reduce their exclusion on certain topics if approached

and explained in the right way, facilitating their

understanding.

6 PROTOTYPE

With the information gathered and the redesigned

structure of the application, we have created the

different screens of the new prototype that the player

would see at the highest level of difficulty, with all

the available functionalities. Screenshots of this

prototype are depicted in Figure 6.

Figure 6. Screenshots of the prototype corresponding to the

memory capture task.

7 EVALUATION

In order to ensure the correct fulfillment of the

proposed objectives for the improvement of the initial

design, different methodologies have been proposed

to evaluate its functionality, user satisfaction and

iterate the prototype design. In this section we are

going to detail them all.

7.1 Situational Adaptation

One of the activities that have been adapted consists

of reviewing the proposed design based on the

supporting drawings of the different limitations of the

users, and what possible problems each individual

may encounter, or if, on the contrary, the experience

is already adapted. The result of this review is

partially shown in Figure 7.

Figure 7. Fragment of the table for adapting the design to

the different limitations.

7.2 User Testing and Design Review

In order to improve some specific details about the

prototype interface, its functionality has been tested

with the following older adults’ profiles by

performing the following tasks: profile creation,

memory capture, opening a memory from the album

and joining a team. The main feedback has been

collected from users over 65 years old. In addition,

other profiles of different ages were also taken into

account in order to find the differences in behavior

derived from the technological knowledge acquired,

as well as to check their correct functionality.

The test has been performed on both mobile and

tablet, with the aim of testing the compatibility of the

interface with the different formats. This has required

an additional screen to display the photos that the

player simulated scanning, in addition to reading

aloud the texts displayed by the game that simulate

the audio track that supports them.

Some elements finally modified taking into

account this information are the following:

With the addition of dialogue balloons to expose

memories, users are confused by the use of the "start

over" and "pause" buttons. The audio accompanies

the text automatically and the user does not have to

press play to start the narration. The "start over"

button returns to the beginning of the text, but may

confuse the player if he/she expects to hear the current

text balloon again. Also, it is only possible to advance

to the next balloon and not go back if not to the

beginning. These confusions are due to the fact that

the uses of these buttons to control playback become

meaningless when the text is presented in this way, so

it would be more convenient for the player to have

buttons to advance and rewind the dialogue balloons,

while the dialogue is automatically narrated. When

incorporating this function, and supporting the sense

of advancement, it would be interesting to incorporate

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a series of supporting images as slides for each block

of text.

Also, in the memory selection menu within a

specific category, users have trouble distinguishing

the photo and, therefore, the memory they wish to

access. It is necessary to place the titles of the

unlocked memories legibly and color-coded

according to the corresponding category, reducing the

number of them on a page. The modification of the

album screen taking this into account is in Figure 8.

Figure 8. Modification of the album screen.

7.3 Final Survey

Although many of the new functionalities included in

the application have their origin in the needs and

requests for improving the game experience

communicated by the players themselves, it is

necessary to evaluate these changes through a second

survey. Similar in format and questions to the initial

survey, a numerical evaluation is requested based on

a score from 1 to 5 of the functions and new elements,

as well as other improved functionalities, in order to

compare the degree to which the new design adapts

and improves the gaming experience of older adults.

In the same way as in the initial survey, the results

have been graphically represented in comparison with

the initial data and, in this way, to check if there is a

perceptible improvement for the players in the

different sections.

Regarding registration process, by guiding the

registration step by step, using understandable

language and dispensing with external accounts (e-

mail, Google) for this purpose, confusion among

players has been reduced. The results of the question

about whether users find hard to understand what data

has to be entered for starting playing give are that the

average initial score was 3.20, and the final average

score is 1.20, so this point has been cleary improved.

Regarding the album, now players can quickly see

the list of the memories they have collected and which

ones they have not. In addition, the game guides them

to this section after getting a souvenir so that they can

see their collection. As a result, player comprehension

has increased considerably. The average initial score

of this question is 2.20, and the average final score is

4.60, so users now understand quite better this feature

of the game.

8 CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE

WORK

After knowing the functionalities of the application

and, subsequently, having studied both the context in

which it is located and its users, as well as different

design considerations to create a satisfactory gaming

experience, a new prototype of the application has

been made as a result of the work. In this prototype,

some of the problems found in the initial design of the

application are solved, and other functionalities are

added to improve and complete the game experience.

Some of the most relevant observations extracted

throughout the project are going to be mentioned

now.

Firstly, it is very complicated to design and

evaluate a digital prototype or a game experience

focused on the use of a mobile device for users who

initially have no prior interest or knowledge of the

field. The design consists of meeting the needs of a

specific user and, through this experience, we try to

create a playful activity that stimulates curiosity and

memory, connects with other people and improves

their social-affective environment, not only through

the game, but also by learning how to use the mobile

device as a communication tool.

Because it is difficult to introduce all these values

and relate them to the game to an older adult who

rejects technology, some social pressure from other

individuals in his environment is necessary, as well as

support and motivation from experts (therapists and

monitors). From that first push and through repetition

over several sessions, we would try to gradually

replace human assistance with virtual assistance, with

the aim that the user would gain independence and

self-sufficiency with the use of the mobile device,

increasing self-confidence and capabilities.

We have also observed that the contents of the

album (memories) cannot be static either, as players

get bored after a while and play several game sessions

with the same themes. It is necessary to update the

contents from time to time and vary the theme as

mentioned above to appeal to the curiosity of the

players in different fields: current affairs, nature,

science, cultures, countries or cities. In this way, the

activity would last over time, and the dynamics would

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be educational, simulating the experience of being in

an interactive museum.

Moreover, it is necessary to highlight the

difficulties when running user tests, due to the

limitations of the prototype shown to the players.

Focused on interfaces and only being able to create

static screens, this representation of the application

does not match the interaction and stimuli that the

user receives in the real application (audio tracks,

camera, interactive assistant, etc.), so it is difficult to

explain to the user what exactly happens without

having played the initial design of the game. This act

of imagination on the part of the user hinders his/her

conception of the game.

Despite these difficulties, players have noticed an

improvement over the previous design in several key

areas, such as the use of a mascot as a virtual assistant,

a clearer album listing and more user-friendly

navigation through memories. Regarding other more

complex features, designed for more experienced

players, such as the team system and commenting

memories, it has been found that players are open to

them and consider that they complement their gaming

experience, although a real gaming environment over

several sessions would be necessary to evaluate them

rigorously.

The next step to take this project to a real

application, which provides the benefits described in

the previous sections and meets the needs of a

segment of vulnerable users and at risk of exclusion

due to their physical limitations and low

technological knowledge, is the translation of the

interfaces and game systems defined to a real

application. Even the modification of the original

design and implementation of the new functionalities

would be interesting, since a large part of the contents

are already implemented. In this way, it would be

possible to count on the opinion of the original

players, who are in their usual game environment,

already familiar with the mechanics of memory

capture. Ensuring that seniors are truly connecting

with the attendant and growing interest in the game in

the community is data that can provide valuable

information for ensuring the mental, emotional and

physical health well-being of older adults over time.

As for future evaluations of the redesign and its

possible implementations, these will be carried out in

such a way that quantitative information can be

gathered to allow a data analysis from which valuable

conclusions can be drawn.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This work has been partly funded by the Spanish

Science and Innovation and University Ministry

(MCIU), the National Research Agency (AEI) and

the EU (FEDER) through the contract PID2022-

136779OB-C31 and by the Aragonese Government

(Group T60_23R).

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