Designing for Engagement: A Co-Created VR Game for Upper Limb Rehabilitation
This paper presents the iterative design of Druida, a virtual reality (VR) game for upper limb rehabilitation tailored for adults with intellectual disabilities. The game integrates therapeutic exercises into a fantasy-based narrative to enhance motivation and emotional engagement. Using a cocreation methodology involving therapists and clients, interviews, usability tests, and heuristic validation were conducted to identify usability barriers and redesign the game interface, instructions, and feedback mechanisms. Results revealed crucial usability barriers and opportunities for game design iteration to align with users' cognitive profiles, thereby enhancing engagement.
Authors
- Phil Lopes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9567-5806)
- Filipe Pinto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7634-0296)
- M. Fonseca (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7946-4825)
- Leonor Oliveira
- Teresa Aparecida Soares de Freitas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5466-6121)
- Andreia Pinto de Sousa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8070-8970)
- José Alberto Gomes de Oliveira Karnikowski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-1079-2429)
Institutions
- Universidade do Porto (PT)
- Fontys University of Applied Sciences (NL)
Publication Details
- Published
- 2025-08-19
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1109/cog64752.2025.11114398
- Primary Topic
- Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Fundo Regional para a Ciência e Tecnologia