Slide deck for ECGBL - based on Suriati's phd pilot studies

1. The Andragogical Perspectives of Older Adults’
Interaction With Digital Game Technologies:
Gameplay on Gesture and Touch-Based Platforms
Suriati K Jali1 & Sylvester Arnab2
1Serious Games Institute, Coventry University, UK
2Disruptive Media Learning Lab, Coventry University, UK
@sarnab75

3. By 2050, one in five people in the world will be 60
years of age or older (Akitunde, 2012)
Ageing population - growing faster than any other
age group, predicted to reach 2 billion by 2050
(Aalbers et al., 2011, WHO, 2002)

4. MocoSpace, 2011

5. Most models or frameworks for
designing and developing games
were generic and commonly
aiming for younger users…
(Ijsselsteijn et al., 2007; Mubin and Al
Mahmud, 2008; De Schutter and Abeele,
2008)

6. In addition to ensuring usability of games for seniors, we need to make sure that
there are substantial perceived benefits for elderly users so that they are willing
to invest their valuable time and energy in what
could potentially be a rich and rewarding experience…(Ijsselsteijn et al, 2007)
Adults learn or perceive thing is different from children (Knowles, 1984)
Andragogy vs. design?

7. To investigate the perspectives from this the target group
in terms of their direct interaction and experience with
digital game technologies, specifically based on gesture and
touch-based platforms.

8. Methodology
Procedure
• Multiple series of focus groups (Coventry City, July – November 2014)
Fig. 1 Focus group flow chart
Why Console & Tablet?
• offer natural user interface (NUI) and
intuitive,
• to ease the interaction between the
participant and technologies in natural ways
(Tanaka et al., 2012)
** Questionnaire for User Interaction Satisfaction (QUIS)
Table 1 Phase 1 Criteria (Preliminary Study)

9. Console Tablet
Natural Interaction
(body movement)
Unnatural
Interaction
Action Games
(Physical)
12
(a) (b)(a) (b)
(a) (b)
(a) (b)
Example of Games
Fig. 2 Examples of games

11. Results and Discussion
View’s on Gameplay using Console and Tablet
Mann–Whitney U test was
conducted and showed a
significant difference between
console and tablet for two
items; Player Enjoy Playing
the Game (U (25) = 35.5, Z = -
2.671, p = 0.008), Player in
Total Control (U (25) = 44.5, Z
= -2.130, p = 0.033).
The result reveals that when
the older people were in a
total control of utilising the
platform, they found
enjoyment and engagement in
playing the game.
Fig. 3 Players’ views on Gameplay using Console and Tablet

12. Gameplay Interactions and Challenges Associated to Ageing
• Simple, relevant information and clear instructions are important (i.e.
written, auditory)
– “Need to make sure the printing is big. I couldn’t see that straight. My glasses need
changes. Older people needed big, bold print”
• Less elements in interface design was preferable (i.e. require less working
memory)
– “I also think you don't want too much extra stuff on the screen that you don't need. I
just want to see what the stuff that I got to deal with, not allowed other stuff around”.
• Adjustable interfaces (i.e. font type & size, screen resolution, volume) -
helpful for those who have eyes sight and hearing problems
• No timer should be included in the game
– “I don’t like time-limited thing. This is because some people take longer to learn things
than others”

13. • Games that required less strength and memory - involves no input
device (i.e. controller) and includes body movement (i.e. physical game)
• A tutorial or instruction screen need to be included and displayed
before playing
• Typing can be replaced by voice recognition, touch screens - helpful
when having difficulty with wrist/elbow movement that the mouse
needed
• The platform physical characteristics (size, weight, battery lifespan)

14. Conclusions
• Essential for the perspectives (experiences and interactions) of older people to be
considered when selecting and/or designing games for this target group
• Highlights- when considering the interaction and experience of older people with
digital games:-
1) Control
2) Interpersonal and social needs
3) Degree of freedom and autonomy the platform provides, portability and ease of use
4) Gameplay interaction and challenges associated with age-related changes

15. References
Aalbers, T., Baars, M. A. E., & Olde Rickert, M. G. M. (2011). Characteristics of effective Internetmediated interventions to change lifestyle in people
aged 50 and older: A systematic review. Ageing Research Reviews, 10, 487-497.
Akitunde, A. (2012, October 2). Aging population: 10 things you may not know about older people. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com
Bolton, M., 2010. Older people, technology and community: the potential of technology to help older people renew or develop social contacts and to
actively engage in their communities. Independent Age.
Definition of an older or elderly person. World Health Organization. Retrieved 3 June, 2013, from
http://www.who.int/healthinfo/survey/ageingdefnolder/en/
Derboven, J., Van Gils, M., & De Grooff, D. (2012). Designing for collaboration: a study in intergenerational social game design. Universal Access in
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Entertainment Software Association. Essential Facts about the Computer and Video Game Industry. Available at
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ONS, 2013 - ONS. National Population Projections, 2012-based projections, Dec 2013
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Sara J. Czaja and Chin Chin Lee. The Human-Computer Interaction: designing for diverse users and domains, chapter Information technology and
older adults, pages 17–32. CRC Press, 2009.
Walker, A. and Maltby, T. (1997) Ageing Europe. Buckingham: Open University
World Health Organization. Definition of an older or elderly person. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO; 2010.
http://www.who.int/healthinfo/survey/ageingdefnolder/en/index.html (Access date 22nd November 2010)
Whitcomb, G. R.: Computer Games for the Elderly. In: R. S. Rosenberg (Ed.), ACM SIGGAS Computers and Society, 20(3), pp. 112-115. New York,
NY: ACM (1990)
Ijsselsteijn, W., Nap, H. H., de Kort, Y., Poels, K.: Digital Game Design for Elderly Users. In: Proceedings of the 2007 Conference on Future Play, pp.
17-22. ACM (2007)
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16. Thank You
Suriati K Jali1 & Sylvester Arnab2
jalis@uni.coventry.ac.uk
1Serious Games Institute, Coventry University, UK
2Disruptive Media Learning Lab, Coventry University, UK