Problem Space
Many older adults are not physically active, even with given federal guidelines for either aerobic or muscle strengthening activities. Exergames, or video games used to simulate physical activity through puzzles, driving games, and exercises, could help older adults move past a sedentary lifestyle. Although exergames are a viable option to increase physical activity, the majority of exergames on the market are not developed with consideration of older adult users’ physical and cognitive abilities.
Study Design
Older adults aged 60+ were observed interacting with two exergame programs: Body Brain Connection and Your Shape Fitness Evolved. Participants were asked to complete tasks associated with each program including, set up, initializing the program, and navigating through instruction and activity screens. Usability challenges were documented before and after hints given by research staff. An error analysis gave insight to the most common errors experienced during interaction with the program.
Tools Used:
• Usability testing
• Error analysis
• Task analysis
• Participant interviews
Instructions screen in Body and Brain Connection program
Users often had difficulty navigating gestural controls and Kinect sensor
Results
Findings informed re-design recommendations and implications for training and tutorial materials. Material from this study has been presented at the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 58th Annual Meeting, the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics meeting, and will be presented at the 17th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction in Los Angeles, CA in August 2015.
