Concept Development of the Eindhoven Diabetes Education Simulator Project

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Game Design

Background:

• Developing effective educational tools for diabetes management is crucial.
• User-centered design (UCD) approaches enhance the relevance and engagement of educational interventions.
• The Eindhoven Diabetes Education Simulator (E-DES) project aimed to create an innovative digital game for diabetes education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define the concept of an educational diabetes game using a UCD approach.
• To evaluate multiple game concepts for their suitability and effectiveness.
• To select the most promising concept for further development of the E-DES.

Main Methods:

• Concept generation involved a multidisciplinary team and a Diabetes Game Jam, producing eight distinct game concepts.
• Concept evaluation included user interviews, expert reviews, and feasibility analysis.
• A systematic evaluation process guided the final concept selection.

Main Results:

• Eight game concepts were generated, including digital board games, a quiz platform, a lifestyle simulator, and mobile games.
• User and expert evaluations, alongside feasibility analysis, indicated that a quiz platform and a digital board game were equally highly ranked.
• The digital board game is best suited for less-motivated, family-oriented patients, while the quiz platform suits eager, individualistic learners.

Conclusions:

• The UCD approach facilitated the selection of a suitable concept from eight options.
• A digital board game was chosen for E-DES development, aligning with the target audience of less-motivated, family-oriented patients.
• This study highlights the importance of UCD and target audience consideration in educational game design.