In my last blog post, I discussed the technical aspects required to create a basic functioning digital prototype. In this post, I want to delve deeper into what a potential first prototype could look like.
Before I speculate on the prototype, I want to mention a game we made last semester called “Lupos,” a simple 3D jump ‘n’ run game. Its distinctive feature was its control method: we used an Xbox Kinect to track the player’s body position and gestures. Leaning left or right steered the player character, while raising both arms above the head made the character jump. Since it was a cooperative game, the gestures had to be made in unison. I mention this game because it shares similarities with games used in rehabilitation and therapy. Using body movements to control in-game avatars can be a form of physical exercise, especially actions like raising hands, which require significant flexibility and range of motion.
As mentioned in my previous blog posts, there are different approaches to gamification. One consideration is whether the service should be used during sessions with a medical professional or during the patient’s own training time.
Another decision is whether the gamification should focus on the exercise itself (turning the exercise into a game) or provide user motivation outside of these exercises (e.g., with leaderboards, visualizations, etc.). These approaches can also be combined.
For a first prototype, I will focus on creating an application that can reliably measure a specific movement and track how many repetitions a user has completed. Additionally, I will explore how this information is presented.
I do not yet fully know the direction I want to take this idea, but I plan to explore it naturally through the prototype development process.
The next step is to build a low-fidelity prototype, focusing on functionality rather than aesthetics. Accurately detecting repetitions without accidental triggers will likely be the most challenging aspect.
