An interactive product to enhance elderly people’s self-esteem

• Autor(a) principal: Matos, Laura Campos Gustavo de
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.26/40467
• topic: Interactive product; Elderly; Self-esteem; Physical activity; Cognitive stimuli; Ux

This dissertation explored ageing and active ageing, discussing the several factors that influence self-esteem and the extent of the effects of gameplay on enhancing selfesteem in the Elderly. It briefly looked at the effects of video games on the Elderly’s cognitive performance and took a deeper look at the effects of exergames (e.g., played on Nintendo’s Wii platform) on the Elderly’s physical and cognitive performance. Some benefits were perceived. However, there is room for improvement as exergames do not provide the recommended exercise intensity and offer low cognitive benefits. Furthermore, it addressed the issue of low use of exergames in older age groups, despite their benefits. To solve these issues, a Human Centered Design approach with focus on user experience was suggested. In this context, this study also included expert interviews and a user questionnaire to better understand the target users’ exercise habits, pains, motivators, preferences, and selfesteem level. This dissertation also resulted in a product idea: an interactive product that offers physical exercise, physical therapy, and cognitive exercise in a fun and challenging way, with professional guidance.