Co-designed mini-games for children with visual impairment: a pilot study on their usability

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Game Design
• Assistive Technology

Background:

• Digital games can enhance cognitive and motor skills but require tailored design for specific user groups.
• Children with visual impairment (VI) present unique needs for digital game engagement.
• Existing assistive technologies may not fully cater to the interactive and developmental needs of children with VI.

Purpose of the Study:

• To co-design and evaluate novel digital mini-games for children with visual impairment (VI).
• To assess the usability of an interactive, motion-capture-based gaming system for children with VI.
• To generate design guidelines for future development of similar inclusive digital games.

Main Methods:

• Co-design process involving computer engineers and a therapy team.
• Development of novel mini-games within a large-scale interactive environment.
• Usability pilot study with 11 children with visual impairment using a motion capture system.
• Integration of player movement with audio-visual feedback for meaningful interaction.

Main Results:

• The pilot study provided valuable insights into system usability for children with VI.
• The interactive system successfully engaged children by linking movement to game output.
• The study facilitated iterative improvements to the gaming system based on user feedback.

Conclusions:

• The co-design approach is effective for developing inclusive digital games for children with VI.
• The developed system shows promise as an engaging tool for cognitive and motor-sensory skill development in children with VI.
• The study established foundational guidelines for designing accessible and effective digital games for visually impaired users.