G-LLE System Design: Gamified Rehabilitation for Children’s Lower Limb Therapy Based on Natural Mapping

It is widely recognized that gamification can potentially improve users' performance in rehabilitation tasks. However, limited research has addressed mitigating additional cognitive load from gamification in pediatric rehabilitation. This study examined a natural mapping-based gamified rehabilitation system to improve children's rehabilitation performance and minimize cognitive load from a user-centered perspective. Eighteen participants were enrolled in a controlled trial, providing questionnaire feedback and interviews after each situation. The results showed that G-LLE improved children's rehabilitation performance and maintained a low cognitive load. On the other hand, it revealed the importance of personalised game elements and immersive interactions in enhancing the rehabilitation experience. This study demonstrates the potential of a user-centered design approach to innovating pediatric rehabilitation, offering valuable insights for developing scalable and personalised gamified rehabilitation systems.