Emily’s New Journey: A Gamified Approach to Home Mobility Barriers – A Pilot Study

Background This study aims to describe the development and testing stages of a prototype solution with gamification elements designed to raise awareness of the barriers faced by individuals with mobility impairments in their homes. Methods A user-centered design approach was adopted, incorporating insights from a prior systematic review to establish requirements that integrated gamification elements. Emily’s Journey was developed in C# using the Unity3D game engine, followed by usability testing to assess its usability and user perceptions. Results Usability testing indicated that Emily’s Journey was perceived as useful for identifying accessibility barriers and supporting awareness. Participants provided high scores on the System Usability Scale (SUS ≥ 70,3), suggesting that the game was engaging. Feedback suggested that the game may support awareness of accessibility barriers. Conclusions This study successfully demonstrated the potential of gamification in addressing home mobility barriers for individuals with limited mobility. The findings contribute valuable insights into the application of gamification in technology, paving the way for future innovations in creating more accessible and inclusive living spaces.