Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies
Date Submitted: Aug 17, 2022
Date Accepted: May 15, 2023
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
The Usability of a Touch Pad Active Videogame Controller for Individuals with Limited Mobility
ABSTRACT
Background:
Videogames are a popular sedentary activity among people with limited mobility. Active videogame hardware typically lacks accessibility and customization options for individuals with disabilities that limit their mobility. A touch pad videogame system can elicit moderate physical activity in healthy adults; however, it is unclear if this system is usable by adults with impaired mobility.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to assess the usability of a touch pad videogame controller system adapted for adults with limited mobility. Secondary measures included enjoyment, perceived exertion, and self-efficacy.
Methods:
Participants played 4 videogames for 5 min each with a touch pad videogame controller as they stood or sat in a chair or their wheelchair. Usability was assessed with the System Usability Scale (SUS) and the Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale (Health-ITUES) surveys after gameplay. After each videogame, participants reported enjoyment using a visual analog scale (0 to 100mm) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) using the OMNI 0 to 10 Scale. Self-efficacy was measured before and after game play. Participants were interviewed at the end of their session.
Results:
Twenty-one adults (6 women, 15 men) 48.8 (13.8) years of age with various mobility limitations participated in this study. The touch pads received usability scores on the SUS 80.1 (18.5) and Health-ITUES 4.23 (0.67). Participants reported moderately high enjoyment and perceived their exertion as “somewhat easy”. Self-efficacy was moderate to high and did not differ before or after gameplay. The participants regarded the touch pads as novel, fun, and entertaining. Additionally, the researchers discovered several areas of improvement for future iteration.
Conclusions:
The touch pad system (TPS) enabled people with a variety of mobility limitations to participate in physically active videogame play. The TPS allows typical sedentary videogames to be played by adults with limited mobility while sitting, standing, and with mobility aids.
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