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There is a real need to have systems for people with visual disabilities to be able to improve their orientation and mobility
skills, and especially for children to be able to improve their autonomy into the future. However, these systems must be designed
according to available objectives, methodologies and resources, as well as by taking the inter...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... autonomous navigation. Another way to help them to be more autonomous is to train them virtually, to then apply the knowledge attained in the real world [1]. In the studies carried out by Lahav and Mioduser [6] the user’s achieve- ment regarding their cognitive representation of the virtually navigated space that they attain, and their ability to apply this representation in carrying out tasks in a real space are examined. The results show the success of the experience, in which the users are able to construct a mental map and then apply it to the real world. In general, videogames are seen only as tools for entertainment. They can also be used as powerful learning tools [12]. However, although the majority of successful studies and projects in this area refer to sighted children, there is a clear niche for research on the application of videogames in support teaching new skills to blind children. In this way, for the purpose of this study it is necessary to evolve from a traditional software development process, and adapt it to these new needs (blind children, serious videogames, orientation and mobility learning), thus creating a new development model. Therefore, the objective of our study is to propose a model for the development of videogame-based applications designed to assist the navigation of blind people, based on the adaptation, widening and integration of existing software engineering models and the design and evaluation of mobile applications that support the orientation and mobility of blind people [16][11] to this new field within software engineering, related to the design and creation of videogames for the education and learning of blind children. To design this innovative and specific model for the development of video game- based applications for the navigation of blind people, other models that have already been designed, developed and validated by the authors of this study were used as a reference. These models, however, do not consider the video game factor and the multi-disciplinary nature of the focus for the current study. The first model taken for reuse is related to the design, development and evaluation of mobile applications to support the development of orientation and mobility (O&M) skills in blind people [16]. The second model is related to software engineering, and is used to support in the development of conventional mobile applications for learning. This model allows the developers to consider aspects that are critical to the development of a functional application [11]. In order to develop video game-based applications for the improvement of O&M skills in blind users, it is necessary to consider three processes (see Fig.1): (1) Definition of Cognitive Skills Navigation, (2) Software Engineering, and (3) Impact Testing. These processes must be executed cyclically and iteratively. This creates a global process that incrementally adjusts the technological tool that is being developed to the cognitive objective regarding the navigation of blind users. Definition of Cognitive Skills Navigation: During this stage all of the O&M skills that are required to support the following are determined: perceptual development, spatial orientation, motricity, communication, basic concepts and protection tech- niques [17]. These skills are represented by behaviors and knowledge that the users must exhibit in order to carry out autonomous navigation. This stage is fundamental to be able to begin the process for the development of technological tools. Here the most significant problems are identified, which are to be dealt with in the following software engineering process. The main objective of this stage is to determine the feasibility of the solution, as well as its restrictions (technical and methodological). The proposed solution will depend on the balance between the technological context and the orientation and mobility skills that are to be supported. Impact Evaluation: We were interested in knowing the gains in terms of learning (O&M skills) between the pretest and posttest scores, which are the result of having used the application. The dependent variable corresponds to the O&M skills studied. Basically, this design responds to three steps: (1) Application of a pretest that measures the behavior of the dependent variable prior to the intervention; (2) Application of the intervention, which imply use of the video game for O&M skills; and (3) Application of a posttest that measures the behavior of the dependent variable after the intervention. Software Engineering Process: In this stage of the model, efforts are mainly concen- trated on the process of software engineering for the design and development of applications that can be used to improve the orientation and mobility skills of blind people. To these ends, it is proposed to work using the 5 traditional phases of systems development: Initial Phase, Analysis Phase, Design Phase, Implementation Phase and Evaluation Phase (see Fig. 2). During this phase, the feasibility for the development of the application is determined. An analysis of the technological context in which the video games will be developed is performed, and the O&M skills to be developed in users with visual disabilities are defined (see Fig. 2). Technological Context: Refers to the technology available in the market that can provide support for possible technological solutions for the development of orientation and mobility skills. In particular, the problem to be dealt with must be clear (defined by Orientation and Mobility Skills), and based on this one can define the most pertinent technology to be used. O&M Skills: The objective of this stage is to clearly define which specific O&M skills we will be able to support with the system to be developed. In this phase an analysis of the end-users of the video game to be developed is analyzed, as well as the internal and external restrictions to the project. This is a stage to consider the most significant variables that will interfere in the design and development process. Real Situations Analysis: The real contexts in which the users would be able to carry out their activities, given the specific orientation and mobility skills that it is desired to support, must be analyzed. This analysis must include the problems that are presented within the environment, which could impede the navigational tasks from being completed, and considering a complete profile of the user that will utilize the system. End-User: The users’ characteristics on a cognitive level (O&M), mental model, degree of vision and their most significant descriptive variables are specified. Restrictions: All of the restrictions that must be considered for the user to be able to correctly develop the desired O&M skills are defined. Both the rules of conduct for the user while using the technology and the social behaviors involved in the activity are specified. Videogame: This component, developed between the analysis stage and the design stage, allows us to define how to design the support system for O&M as a videogame. HCI Definition: In this component the specific guidelines for how the interfaces and the interaction with the system to be developed must be designed. To do this, it is necessary to take the characteristics of the end users, their habitual ways of interacting and their interests into account. This also includes the specific characteristics of the system so that it has a recreational, “educational videogame” type orientation [12], and so that it is used to develop O&M skills. The end users’ considerations are provided during Analysis of the Real Situation stage, in which the users and their needs are defined (see Fig. 2). Due to this information, which can be considered within different technological contexts, it is necessary to include the way in which a blind user interacts with different kinds of technology [9]. Environment: Component re- sponsible for defining where the system to be developed will be used. This is based on an abstract representation of the real world in the system. The computational representation of the real environment must be in accordance with the tasks that the videogame users have to perform. Tasks: For the correct development of the skills to be analyzed, it is necessary for the tasks, defined both on the level of the real environment (if the system is mobile, for example) and on the level of the software, to allow for the child to use the orientation and navigation tools through the videogame itself. This is essential for the kind of skills that it is sought to develop. These tasks must include elements from the real environment to be represented in the virtual world. General guidelines for how this environment should be represented will also be provided. After the design phase the problem to be solved is clear, as well as the best way to achieve this. The task assigned to this phase consists of developing the solution that has been designed in the previous phase. Interfaces: In this stage of the model, the different interfaces that the blind user will use to develop the previously defined tasks are implemented. These interfaces can be of different sorts: Audio [14], haptic [8] and multimodal [4]. These interfaces must include the users’ characteristics (from the Definition of HCI component), and the elements that make the orientation and mobility tasks possible. Functionalities: During this process, the data structures and the specific functionalities for the system being developed are defined. This component includes the activities within the tasks to be performed and implements the necessary functionalities, always making sure that it is possible to complete all the specific tasks assigned. By the end of the previous phase, the videogame has already been implemented. During this testing phase, the video game is tested in order to solve possible errors and defects (corrective maintenance), and to modify ...
Context 2
... Cognitive Skills Navigation, (2) Software Engineering, and (3) Impact Testing. These processes must be executed cyclically and iteratively. This creates a global process that incrementally adjusts the technological tool that is being developed to the cognitive objective regarding the navigation of blind users. Definition of Cognitive Skills Navigation: During this stage all of the O&M skills that are required to support the following are determined: perceptual development, spatial orientation, motricity, communication, basic concepts and protection tech- niques [17]. These skills are represented by behaviors and knowledge that the users must exhibit in order to carry out autonomous navigation. This stage is fundamental to be able to begin the process for the development of technological tools. Here the most significant problems are identified, which are to be dealt with in the following software engineering process. The main objective of this stage is to determine the feasibility of the solution, as well as its restrictions (technical and methodological). The proposed solution will depend on the balance between the technological context and the orientation and mobility skills that are to be supported. Impact Evaluation: We were interested in knowing the gains in terms of learning (O&M skills) between the pretest and posttest scores, which are the result of having used the application. The dependent variable corresponds to the O&M skills studied. Basically, this design responds to three steps: (1) Application of a pretest that measures the behavior of the dependent variable prior to the intervention; (2) Application of the intervention, which imply use of the video game for O&M skills; and (3) Application of a posttest that measures the behavior of the dependent variable after the intervention. Software Engineering Process: In this stage of the model, efforts are mainly concen- trated on the process of software engineering for the design and development of applications that can be used to improve the orientation and mobility skills of blind people. To these ends, it is proposed to work using the 5 traditional phases of systems development: Initial Phase, Analysis Phase, Design Phase, Implementation Phase and Evaluation Phase (see Fig. 2). During this phase, the feasibility for the development of the application is determined. An analysis of the technological context in which the video games will be developed is performed, and the O&M skills to be developed in users with visual disabilities are defined (see Fig. 2). Technological Context: Refers to the technology available in the market that can provide support for possible technological solutions for the development of orientation and mobility skills. In particular, the problem to be dealt with must be clear (defined by Orientation and Mobility Skills), and based on this one can define the most pertinent technology to be used. O&M Skills: The objective of this stage is to clearly define which specific O&M skills we will be able to support with the system to be developed. In this phase an analysis of the end-users of the video game to be developed is analyzed, as well as the internal and external restrictions to the project. This is a stage to consider the most significant variables that will interfere in the design and development process. Real Situations Analysis: The real contexts in which the users would be able to carry out their activities, given the specific orientation and mobility skills that it is desired to support, must be analyzed. This analysis must include the problems that are presented within the environment, which could impede the navigational tasks from being completed, and considering a complete profile of the user that will utilize the system. End-User: The users’ characteristics on a cognitive level (O&M), mental model, degree of vision and their most significant descriptive variables are specified. Restrictions: All of the restrictions that must be considered for the user to be able to correctly develop the desired O&M skills are defined. Both the rules of conduct for the user while using the technology and the social behaviors involved in the activity are specified. Videogame: This component, developed between the analysis stage and the design stage, allows us to define how to design the support system for O&M as a videogame. HCI Definition: In this component the specific guidelines for how the interfaces and the interaction with the system to be developed must be designed. To do this, it is necessary to take the characteristics of the end users, their habitual ways of interacting and their interests into account. This also includes the specific characteristics of the system so that it has a recreational, “educational videogame” type orientation [12], and so that it is used to develop O&M skills. The end users’ considerations are provided during Analysis of the Real Situation stage, in which the users and their needs are defined (see Fig. 2). Due to this information, which can be considered within different technological contexts, it is necessary to include the way in which a blind user interacts with different kinds of technology [9]. Environment: Component re- sponsible for defining where the system to be developed will be used. This is based on an abstract representation of the real world in the system. The computational representation of the real environment must be in accordance with the tasks that the videogame users have to perform. Tasks: For the correct development of the skills to be analyzed, it is necessary for the tasks, defined both on the level of the real environment (if the system is mobile, for example) and on the level of the software, to allow for the child to use the orientation and navigation tools through the videogame itself. This is essential for the kind of skills that it is sought to develop. These tasks must include elements from the real environment to be represented in the virtual world. General guidelines for how this environment should be represented will also be provided. After the design phase the problem to be solved is clear, as well as the best way to achieve this. The task assigned to this phase consists of developing the solution that has been designed in the previous phase. Interfaces: In this stage of the model, the different interfaces that the blind user will use to develop the previously defined tasks are implemented. These interfaces can be of different sorts: Audio [14], haptic [8] and multimodal [4]. These interfaces must include the users’ characteristics (from the Definition of HCI component), and the elements that make the orientation and mobility tasks possible. Functionalities: During this process, the data structures and the specific functionalities for the system being developed are defined. This component includes the activities within the tasks to be performed and implements the necessary functionalities, always making sure that it is possible to complete all the specific tasks assigned. By the end of the previous phase, the videogame has already been implemented. During this testing phase, the video game is tested in order to solve possible errors and defects (corrective maintenance), and to modify or improve the videogame (adaptive maintenance). During this stage, the following tasks must be considered. Usability Testing: In order to evaluate the interfaces used by the system developed, specific usability evaluations must be applied [9] (quantitative and/or qualitative), in order to assure that the users’ interactions with the system are adequate and pertinent. These evaluations must be performed with end users, and involve the previously designed interfaces. Real Context: During the design of the interfaces for the system to be developed, it is necessary to consider evaluations based on the real environment. These evaluations can be either quantitative and/or qualitative. The main idea is that from these evaluations, relevant considerations regarding how the user interacts in the real environment emerge in such a way that the system adjusts to this kind of interaction. Laboratory Context: In order to make a more controlled and precise evaluation, it is necessary to perform experiments in a laboratory in order to evaluate usability. These evaluations would be of a more focused nature, and would define the specific redesigns for the interfaces being developed. Functionalities Evaluation: This stage of the development will validate if the functionalities of the system developed do what they have to do. Exhaustive tests must be taken within a laboratory setting regarding the system’s behavior under various simulated conditions of use. In this work, a model for the design, development and evaluation of video game- based applications is presented and described, so that users with visual disabilities can improve their O&M skills. A theoretical review of the concepts related to mobility and digital technology, the use of technology for O&M sills, and the use of video games to support learning was performed. Afterwards, the proposed model was presented, as well as its different stages and the impact that it has had on the development process. Our previous experience with the design of educational software development models for the blind [39] has taught us how important it is to provide design and development tools for such systems. These tools can considerably improve the perti- nence, acceptance and use of these systems by the end users. The early development of orientation and mobility skills in blind children is fundamental for their performance in navigating unknown environments autonomously. At the same time, a higher understanding of space and the development of orientation and mobility skills does not only allow them to develop psychomotor activities at their age level, but also allows them to have a higher level of learning with regards to their perception and ...
Context 3
... of the virtually navigated space that they attain, and their ability to apply this representation in carrying out tasks in a real space are examined. The results show the success of the experience, in which the users are able to construct a mental map and then apply it to the real world. In general, videogames are seen only as tools for entertainment. They can also be used as powerful learning tools [12]. However, although the majority of successful studies and projects in this area refer to sighted children, there is a clear niche for research on the application of videogames in support teaching new skills to blind children. In this way, for the purpose of this study it is necessary to evolve from a traditional software development process, and adapt it to these new needs (blind children, serious videogames, orientation and mobility learning), thus creating a new development model. Therefore, the objective of our study is to propose a model for the development of videogame-based applications designed to assist the navigation of blind people, based on the adaptation, widening and integration of existing software engineering models and the design and evaluation of mobile applications that support the orientation and mobility of blind people [16][11] to this new field within software engineering, related to the design and creation of videogames for the education and learning of blind children. To design this innovative and specific model for the development of video game- based applications for the navigation of blind people, other models that have already been designed, developed and validated by the authors of this study were used as a reference. These models, however, do not consider the video game factor and the multi-disciplinary nature of the focus for the current study. The first model taken for reuse is related to the design, development and evaluation of mobile applications to support the development of orientation and mobility (O&M) skills in blind people [16]. The second model is related to software engineering, and is used to support in the development of conventional mobile applications for learning. This model allows the developers to consider aspects that are critical to the development of a functional application [11]. In order to develop video game-based applications for the improvement of O&M skills in blind users, it is necessary to consider three processes (see Fig.1): (1) Definition of Cognitive Skills Navigation, (2) Software Engineering, and (3) Impact Testing. These processes must be executed cyclically and iteratively. This creates a global process that incrementally adjusts the technological tool that is being developed to the cognitive objective regarding the navigation of blind users. Definition of Cognitive Skills Navigation: During this stage all of the O&M skills that are required to support the following are determined: perceptual development, spatial orientation, motricity, communication, basic concepts and protection tech- niques [17]. These skills are represented by behaviors and knowledge that the users must exhibit in order to carry out autonomous navigation. This stage is fundamental to be able to begin the process for the development of technological tools. Here the most significant problems are identified, which are to be dealt with in the following software engineering process. The main objective of this stage is to determine the feasibility of the solution, as well as its restrictions (technical and methodological). The proposed solution will depend on the balance between the technological context and the orientation and mobility skills that are to be supported. Impact Evaluation: We were interested in knowing the gains in terms of learning (O&M skills) between the pretest and posttest scores, which are the result of having used the application. The dependent variable corresponds to the O&M skills studied. Basically, this design responds to three steps: (1) Application of a pretest that measures the behavior of the dependent variable prior to the intervention; (2) Application of the intervention, which imply use of the video game for O&M skills; and (3) Application of a posttest that measures the behavior of the dependent variable after the intervention. Software Engineering Process: In this stage of the model, efforts are mainly concen- trated on the process of software engineering for the design and development of applications that can be used to improve the orientation and mobility skills of blind people. To these ends, it is proposed to work using the 5 traditional phases of systems development: Initial Phase, Analysis Phase, Design Phase, Implementation Phase and Evaluation Phase (see Fig. 2). During this phase, the feasibility for the development of the application is determined. An analysis of the technological context in which the video games will be developed is performed, and the O&M skills to be developed in users with visual disabilities are defined (see Fig. 2). Technological Context: Refers to the technology available in the market that can provide support for possible technological solutions for the development of orientation and mobility skills. In particular, the problem to be dealt with must be clear (defined by Orientation and Mobility Skills), and based on this one can define the most pertinent technology to be used. O&M Skills: The objective of this stage is to clearly define which specific O&M skills we will be able to support with the system to be developed. In this phase an analysis of the end-users of the video game to be developed is analyzed, as well as the internal and external restrictions to the project. This is a stage to consider the most significant variables that will interfere in the design and development process. Real Situations Analysis: The real contexts in which the users would be able to carry out their activities, given the specific orientation and mobility skills that it is desired to support, must be analyzed. This analysis must include the problems that are presented within the environment, which could impede the navigational tasks from being completed, and considering a complete profile of the user that will utilize the system. End-User: The users’ characteristics on a cognitive level (O&M), mental model, degree of vision and their most significant descriptive variables are specified. Restrictions: All of the restrictions that must be considered for the user to be able to correctly develop the desired O&M skills are defined. Both the rules of conduct for the user while using the technology and the social behaviors involved in the activity are specified. Videogame: This component, developed between the analysis stage and the design stage, allows us to define how to design the support system for O&M as a videogame. HCI Definition: In this component the specific guidelines for how the interfaces and the interaction with the system to be developed must be designed. To do this, it is necessary to take the characteristics of the end users, their habitual ways of interacting and their interests into account. This also includes the specific characteristics of the system so that it has a recreational, “educational videogame” type orientation [12], and so that it is used to develop O&M skills. The end users’ considerations are provided during Analysis of the Real Situation stage, in which the users and their needs are defined (see Fig. 2). Due to this information, which can be considered within different technological contexts, it is necessary to include the way in which a blind user interacts with different kinds of technology [9]. Environment: Component re- sponsible for defining where the system to be developed will be used. This is based on an abstract representation of the real world in the system. The computational representation of the real environment must be in accordance with the tasks that the videogame users have to perform. Tasks: For the correct development of the skills to be analyzed, it is necessary for the tasks, defined both on the level of the real environment (if the system is mobile, for example) and on the level of the software, to allow for the child to use the orientation and navigation tools through the videogame itself. This is essential for the kind of skills that it is sought to develop. These tasks must include elements from the real environment to be represented in the virtual world. General guidelines for how this environment should be represented will also be provided. After the design phase the problem to be solved is clear, as well as the best way to achieve this. The task assigned to this phase consists of developing the solution that has been designed in the previous phase. Interfaces: In this stage of the model, the different interfaces that the blind user will use to develop the previously defined tasks are implemented. These interfaces can be of different sorts: Audio [14], haptic [8] and multimodal [4]. These interfaces must include the users’ characteristics (from the Definition of HCI component), and the elements that make the orientation and mobility tasks possible. Functionalities: During this process, the data structures and the specific functionalities for the system being developed are defined. This component includes the activities within the tasks to be performed and implements the necessary functionalities, always making sure that it is possible to complete all the specific tasks assigned. By the end of the previous phase, the videogame has already been implemented. During this testing phase, the video game is tested in order to solve possible errors and defects (corrective maintenance), and to modify or improve the videogame (adaptive maintenance). During this stage, the following tasks must be considered. Usability Testing: In order to evaluate the interfaces used by the system developed, specific usability evaluations must be applied [9] (quantitative and/or qualitative), in ...
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Citations
... For example, some authors applied universal design principles in their approaches (i.e., flexible use, simple and intuitive use, perceptible information, error tolerance, and minimal physical effort) [57,71,105]. User-centred design was also a rather frequent design approach to elicit requirements and to guide the development process of O&M indoor virtual environments [50,53,[93][94][95]. According to Sánchez et al. [95], the O&M virtual environment development cycle is an iterative process, which depends on the balance between the technological context and the orientation and mobility skills targeted by the system. ...
... User-centred design was also a rather frequent design approach to elicit requirements and to guide the development process of O&M indoor virtual environments [50,53,[93][94][95]. According to Sánchez et al. [95], the O&M virtual environment development cycle is an iterative process, which depends on the balance between the technological context and the orientation and mobility skills targeted by the system. They considered as O&M skills: auditory and haptic sensory perception skills; abstract concept development; essential mobility and motor skills; orientation skills and mind map; and orientation and mobility techniques (pre-cane). ...
... It was not an easy task to answer RQ2, as we found several papers that did not report descriptions and discussions about their design process. We found five papers proposing guidelines [4,5,40,52,95] with different approaches to the topic. Evaluate the readability and effectiveness of those guidelines is a research opportunity. ...
BACKGROUND: Knowing their current position in the surroundings constitutes one of the biggest challenges faced by people with visual disabilities when they move around. For them, it is difficult to be aware of the direction in which they are going, and the location of nearby objects and obstacles. In this context, obtaining relevant spatial information is always very significant to these individuals. Hence, the research in the development of assistive technologies for needs and perspectives of people who are blind has been a promising area in terms of the orientation and mobility (O&M) challenges.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to systematically examine the literature on O&M virtual environments designed to support indoor navigation to identify techniques for both developing and evaluating the usability and cognitive impact of these applications.
METHODS: A systematic literature review (SLR) was performed, considering population, intervention, outcomes, and study design as eligibility criteria. After a filtering process from 987 works retrieved from six databases, we extracted data from 51 papers, which meet the study selection criteria.
RESULTS: The analysis of the 51 papers describing 31 O8M indoor virtual environments, indicated that O&M virtual environments to support indoor navigation are usually designed for desktop, adopt spatial audio as way to support orientation, and use joystick as primary interaction device. Regarding evaluation techniques, questionnaires, interviews, user observation, and performance logs are commonly used to evaluate usability in this context. In tests involving users, the participants are usually adults aged 21–59 years, who individually spend about 90 minutes split in usually two evaluation sessions. Most papers do not report any strategies to evaluate the cognitive impact of O&M virtual environments on users’ navigational and wayfinding skills. Thirteen papers (25.49%) reported the conduction of experiments or quasi-experiments and demonstrated pieces of evidence associated with a positive cognitive impact resultant from O8M indoor virtual environments usage. Finally, only four papers (7.84%) reported the development of indoor maps editors for O&M virtual environments.
CONCLUSION: Our SLR summarizes the characteristics of 32 O&M virtual environments. It compiles state-of-the-art for indoor simulations in this domain and highlights their challenges and impacts in O&M training. Also, the absence of clear guidelines to design and evaluate O&M virtual environments and the few available computer editors of indoor maps appear as research opportunities.
... The relevant papers are from 1999 to 2014, being 80% of the papers from 2008 on. The selected papers were: [13,51,2,35,3,4,8,15,12,17,18,41,42,24,25,30,28,29,32,33,31,37,39,38,40,36,34,47,48,49]. Among these, 25 papers described 21 distinct applications: 17 multimodal games and four multimodal navigation virtual environment. ...
Multimodal serious video games are relevant tools to enhance the cognitive skills of people who are blind. For this purpose, it is necessary that designers and developers be able to create interfaces and interactions using the multimodal elements properly. Thus, there is a need to know the relevant elements for such applications, as well as to understand their roles and relationships. In this paper, we propose and discuss a 4-dimension classification: Interface, Interaction, Cognition, and Evaluation. Such classification was assembled from the features related to the design and evaluation of 21 multimodal video games and environments, identified via a bibliographic review based on the systematic review approach. Besides, we classify and discuss the 21 multimodal applications into the proposed classification.
... Thus, each author adapts the development process, according to the goals of the game in question. Nevertheless, four papers [27,31,32,34] introduce models for the design and development of games for enhancing cognition of blind people. Each model relates to a specific context of use, audience and/or desired cognitive skill. ...
... The work of [34] introduces a model for the development of videogame-based applications designed to assist the navigation of blind people. While [32] is a video game development model to serve as a framework for designing games to help learners who are blind to construct mental maps. ...
Multimodal serious games are attractive tools for achieving this goal and helping people with visual disabilities to perceive and to interpret the surrounding world. However, it is fundamental to ensure that the games can stimulate cognitive development. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of multimodal components in the development and evaluation of games and virtual environments targeting the enhancement of cognitive skills in people who are blind. We analyze the state-of-the-art concerning approaches and technologies currently in use for the development of mental maps, cognitive spatial structures, and navigation skills in learners who are blind by using multimodal videogames. Besides, we identify the current approaches used for designing and evaluating multimodal games in this context. In this paper, we discuss the results on these and related topics and draw from them some trends and issues.
http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-20684-4_52
... It is especiall plications developed, and th that supports the work [15]. The proposed design mo created based on the adjus [14]. Following the analysi plete videogame developme software engineering and co to geometry and O&M skill In accordance with the m to execute the following thr (i) Definition of the cogn which the learner is able to function effectively within ]. ...
... The objective of this model is to guide researchers and developers in the software engineering process for the design and development of videogames oriented towards improving specific cognitive skills in visually impaired children and young people. In particular, in this process a previous model is modified [14] by adjusting , improving and extending it in terms of the cognitive abilities implied by O&M, and geometric thinking. In addition, it points directly to the design of videogames as a tool for the development of these skills in people with visual impairment. ...
Mental maps allow users to acquire, codify and manipulate spatial information, as they are schematics that guide behavior and help to deal with spatial problems by providing solutions. This is to say that mental or cognitive maps involve processes of spatial reasoning. The purpose of this work was to design a videogame development model to serve as a framework for designing videogames to help learners who are blind to construct mental maps for the development of geometric-mathematical abilities and orientation and mobility (O&M) skills.
Orientation and Mobility (O&M) training is an important aspect in the education of visually impaired students. In this work we present a scavenger hunt-like location-based game to support O&M training. In two comparative studies with blind and partially sighted students and interviews with teachers we investigate if a mobile game played in the real world is a suitable approach to support O&M training and if a mobile location-based O&M training game is preferred over a game played in a virtual world. Our results show that a mobile location-based game is a fruitful approach to support O&M training for visually impaired students, and that a mobile location based game is preferred over playing in a virtual world. Based on the gathered insights we discuss implications for using mobile location-based games in O&M training.
Video games represent one of the most popular forms of digital en-tertainment, but people who are blind or visually impaired end up having re-stricted access to these games. Discussions about digital accessibility and inclu-sion often end up leaving this question aside, in favor of some discourse con-sidered more "utilitarian" or "productivist". However, video games have a rele-vant role in contemporary culture and can bring cognitive, motivational, emo-tional, and social benefits, as well as contribute to the well-being of their play-ers. Audiogames are a specific type of digital game that have sound and some-times tactile stimuli as their central element, rather than visual graphics. Thus, audiogames can create atmosphere, mechanics, and unique gameplay, while making digital entertainment more accessible to people with all levels of vision. It is also necessary to consider (and charge) the need for other types of digital games to comply with accessibility guidelines and to guarantee the right to play for everyone. Digital games that promote universal design and that are capable of captivating their players can ensure that people with different levels of vision can interact, collaborate, and even compete on equal terms with the same game - a situation that can not always be observed in other everyday situations.
Digital technology facilitates the lives of visually impaired people. To design accessible technology accepted by the target group, comprehensive methods of user-centred design are needed. In this paper, we present a case study with visually impaired pupils aiming for gaining bottom-up insights to support the ideation and design of a game editor to support orientation and mobility training. We involved relevant stakeholders (pupils, teachers, mobility trainers) using multiple methods, including (contextual) interview, focus group, (ideation) workshop, Gamestorming, digital survey, behavioural observation, self-experience, and early stage prototype testing. With our approach we were able to gain a rich understanding about the needs of visually impaired pupils. The objective of this paper is to serve as reference for researchers cooperating with visually impaired pupils by providing (1) design implications for a game editor, and (2) a comprehensive reflection on approaches and issues of user-centred design methods with visually impaired pupils.
Multimodal serious video games are relevant tools to enhance the cognitive skills of people who are blind. For this purpose, it is necessary that designers and developers be able to create user interfaces and interactions using the multimodal components properly. Thus, there is a need to know the key components to be considered for such applications, as well as to understand their roles and relationships. In this paper, we propose and discuss a 4-dimension classification: Interface, Interaction, Cognition, and Evaluation, to analyze the design of multimodal videogames for the cognition of people who are blind. Such classification was assembled from features related to the design and evaluation of a number of multimodal video games and virtual environments, identified via literature review based on systematic review methodology. We also classify and discuss multimodal applications within the proposed categorization.
