JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Social robots integrated with serious games hold great promise as innovative non-pharmacological interventions for dementia care. However, the effectiveness and user experience from the formal caregivers' perspective remain underexplored.

Objective:

This study aimed to design and assess an adaptive interaction model involving a social robot with integrated serious games for dementia care and compare its feasibility and user experience against a tablet-based counterpart, focusing specifically on the perceptions of formal caregivers.

Methods:

A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted with 120 formal dementia caregivers. An adaptive interaction model incorporating music therapy, reminiscence, and cognitive serious games targeting memory, language, and spatial skills was developed. The model was implemented on both a child-like, screen-based social robot and a conventional tablet. Caregivers evaluated both devices using the User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ), System Usability Scale (SUS), and a customized Technology Acceptance Model (TAM).

Results:

Caregivers significantly favored the social robot over the tablet, rating it higher across key user experience dimensions including attractiveness (p < .001), perspicuity (p = .001), stimulation (p = .005), and novelty (p < .001). Additionally, caregivers perceived the robot as easier to learn (p = .001), smoother to operate (p = .042), and more useful for dementia care (p < .001). Overall, the social robot demonstrated superior engagement and acceptability compared to the tablet.

Conclusions:

The findings indicate that serious games delivered through adaptive social robot interventions offer enhanced user experiences for formal dementia caregivers compared to traditional tablet-based solutions. These results support the potential broader implementation of social robots as effective tools in dementia care environments.