From Paper to Pixel: Demonstrating the Power of Non-Digital Serious Games for Informing Digital Health Solutions

This study challenges the dominant use of digital formats when designing serious games to inform digital solutions, showcasing the unique advantages of using a non-digital game approach. While digital formats are often the default in HCI and serious games, our findings highlight how a paper-based game can capture diverse perspectives, foster engagement, and uncover nuanced insights often overlooked by digital-only approaches. Focusing on remote care for eating disorders, we co-developed a game with service users and providers to explore barriers to effective support and collaboratively design solutions. This inclusive, participatory process informed the creation of a digital toolkit tailored to stakeholders’ needs. Our research broadens the scope of serious games within HCI and digital healthcare, demonstrating their utility beyond education, into service design and innovation. It underscores the value of applying non-digital games even when the target outcome is a digital intervention.