User Centered Design for Exergames

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User Centered Design
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Refurbishing
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Introduction
The elderly or senior population must enjoy a good quality of life and live as
independently as they can and for as long as possible. Adherence to exercise is highly
recommended so as to improve their quality of life and exercise capacity plus lower
hospitalization. Physical activity with improved balance and coordination are of great importance
at an advanced age. Exergames can help older adults to improve both their lifestyle and develop
exercise habits.
The sedentary lifestyle of the elderly population
World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the world’s elderly population will
increase from 11% to 22% by 2050 (Tobaigy, Alshehri, Timmons & Helal 20187, p. 555). Many
older adults are physically inactive as 62% of the older population enjoy insufficient levels of
physical activity. Majority of the senior population spend their day in sedentary activities (Bird,
Clark, Millar, Whetton, & Smith 2015, p. 1). The older people are prone to many diseases such
as Parkinson’s disease, balance impairment, and stroke. About 35% of the older adults in the
community experience at least one fall a year (Tobaigy, Alshehri, Timmons & Helal 20187, p.
556). The rapid aging of society highlights the need to maintain and improve motor functions in
the elderly. Recent studies show that different exercises for balance-maintaining and muscle
strength-potentiating can improve the quality of life in the seniors and decrease the risk of falls
(Nagano, Ishida, Tani, Kawasaki, & Ikeuchi 2016, p. 1). When the elderly are physically fit, they
face lower chances of anxiety and depression to enjoy an improved memory and healthy
lifestyle.
Technology-based exercise interventions

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Regular exercise can help maintain the lifestyle of the elderly physically, mentally and
socially. Moreover, they face lower hazards of obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure. Still, it
is difficult to motivate the older adults to exercise, and there could be different reasons behind
like lack of company, a practical environment and a weak social support. Advances in
technology have led to technology-based exercise interventions that can balance enjoyment and
physical activity levels. Enjoyment of physical activity can impact the popularity and
effectiveness of an exercise program (Bird, Clark, Millar, Whetton, & Smith 2015, p. 2).
Repetitive exercises can be annoying and monotonous for the elderly and tend to lower
compliance. Exercise training with a computer game is a compliance-improving training method.
The safety and exercise continuation are some of the positive effects of exergaming reported in
the elderly (Nagano, Ishida, Tani, Kawasaki, & Ikeuchi 2016, p. 2). Since exergaming is new
technological attainment, it promises new opportunities for cultivating health and fitness such as
improving cognitive performance, promoting motor skills and build mental health (Benzing &
Schmidt 2018, p. 8). It can be a viable tool to target a specific population like the children and
the seniors.
Exercise-based games - exergames
Exergames is a blend of exercise and computer game, and it carries the potential to
motivate and entertain in rehabilitation. The exergames are commonly used by stroke patients
and people with motor and cognitive impairments (Chen et al. 2018, p. 1). Exercise-based
videogames or exergames are becoming a progressively popular strategy to encourage physical
activity among the elderly population. Exergames provide enjoyable activities, raise interest in
physical activities and remove the need of leaving home for the seniors (Bird, Clark, Millar,
Whetton, & Smith 2015, p. 2). Although exergames have been there since the 1980s, it is only