scholarly journals Te Kēmu Hauora - Designing a mobile game to facilitate education and improve healthcare engagement

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Sophie Price
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Flow Theory ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Design Criteria ◽  
User Testing ◽  
Mobile Game ◽  
Treatment Regimes ◽  
System Usability Scale

<p>This thesis addresses the research question “How could a mobile game be designed to facilitate education and improve healthcare engagement around skin sores in children?”. Health behaviour issues such as lack of education and low adherence to treatment regimes impact the success rates of treatments in children for common ailments such as skin sores. Skin sores are a particular health issue in New Zealand where the rates of admission to hospital for serious skin infections in 2006 were double that of USA and Australia (Craig et al., 2007, p. 278-282). Hospitalisation can be prevented by ensuring treatment regimes for skin sores are correctly completed after early diagnosis (Gray et al., 2013, p. 2). Literature states that game design is a viable solution to healthcare issues, as it can be used alongside persuasive strategies to engage and educate children around their treatments. However, there is a gap in the literature and existing precedents for health games addressing treatment of common ailments. This thesis addresses the research question through developing design criteria for a health game by identifying suitable theories to encourage positive health behaviors and educate children. These include: simulation, personalisation, reward and flow theory, as well as the information, motivation, strategy model to increase engagement with treatment. These criteria are used alongside user personas and journey maps methods to create the design output of a mobile health game to educate and engage New Zealand children around the treatment of skin sores. The game was tested for education, engagement and usability during the design process. Methods for user testing included observation, an adaption of the System Usability Scale and semi-structured interview questions. Thematic analysis of the testing results showed that most participants were engaged with the game and gained education around treatment steps. Insights on user testing with children for education, engagement, and usability are reported. The final output was refined and accessed against the design criteria. Findings from this thesis discuss how game design techniques including simulation, flow theory and reward can be used to educate and engage children with treatments of common ailments.</p>

scholarly journals Te Kēmu Hauora - Designing a mobile game to facilitate education and improve healthcare engagement

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Sophie Price
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Flow Theory ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Design Criteria ◽  
User Testing ◽  
Mobile Game ◽  
Treatment Regimes ◽  
System Usability Scale

<p>This thesis addresses the research question “How could a mobile game be designed to facilitate education and improve healthcare engagement around skin sores in children?”. Health behaviour issues such as lack of education and low adherence to treatment regimes impact the success rates of treatments in children for common ailments such as skin sores. Skin sores are a particular health issue in New Zealand where the rates of admission to hospital for serious skin infections in 2006 were double that of USA and Australia (Craig et al., 2007, p. 278-282). Hospitalisation can be prevented by ensuring treatment regimes for skin sores are correctly completed after early diagnosis (Gray et al., 2013, p. 2). Literature states that game design is a viable solution to healthcare issues, as it can be used alongside persuasive strategies to engage and educate children around their treatments. However, there is a gap in the literature and existing precedents for health games addressing treatment of common ailments. This thesis addresses the research question through developing design criteria for a health game by identifying suitable theories to encourage positive health behaviors and educate children. These include: simulation, personalisation, reward and flow theory, as well as the information, motivation, strategy model to increase engagement with treatment. These criteria are used alongside user personas and journey maps methods to create the design output of a mobile health game to educate and engage New Zealand children around the treatment of skin sores. The game was tested for education, engagement and usability during the design process. Methods for user testing included observation, an adaption of the System Usability Scale and semi-structured interview questions. Thematic analysis of the testing results showed that most participants were engaged with the game and gained education around treatment steps. Insights on user testing with children for education, engagement, and usability are reported. The final output was refined and accessed against the design criteria. Findings from this thesis discuss how game design techniques including simulation, flow theory and reward can be used to educate and engage children with treatments of common ailments.</p>

scholarly journals Evaluation of Usability and Gameplay of Games on Mobile Platforms for Young People on Oncological Treatment

RENOTE ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 122-131
Author(s):  
Guilherme Theisen Schneider ◽  
Débora Nice Ferrari Barbosa ◽  
Paulo Ricardo dos Santos ◽  
Jorge Luís Victória Barbosa
Keyword(s):  
Game Design ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Educational Games ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Mobile Platforms ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Oncological Treatment ◽  
System Usability Scale

This paper presents a method to evaluate usability and gameplay efficiency for educational games developed for children undergoing cancer treatment, as well as a case study involving the game “Corrida Gramatical”. The methodology of this paper consists of the use of tablets by patients aged 10 to 15 years old to evaluate and quantify the usability and gameplay of the game, while the process is documented through non-participant observation, a System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. The proposed method has proved to be supportive in the evaluation of existing educational games, considering the participants of the research, as well as in the improvement of the game by analyzing the flaws identified in the game design. For future studies, we intend to change the inclusion criteria to select a larger group of patients and reaffirm the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Co-Design and Open Trial of Starship Rescue, a Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Biofeedback, and Game-Based eHealth Intervention to Treat Anxiety in Children and Young People with Long-Term Physical Conditions (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiran Thabrew ◽  
Karolina Stasiak ◽  
Harshali Kumar ◽  
Tarique Naseem ◽  
Christopher Frampton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Young People ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Physical Conditions ◽  
System Usability Scale ◽  
Ehealth Intervention

BACKGROUND Approximately 10% to 12% of New Zealand children and young people have long-term physical conditions (also known as chronic illnesses) and are more likely to develop psychological problems, particularly anxiety and depression. Delayed treatment leads to worse physical and mental healthcare, school absence, and poorer long-term outcomes. Recently, electronic health (eHealth) interventions, especially those based on the principles of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), have been shown to be as good as face-to-face therapy. Biofeedback techniques have also been shown to enhance relaxation during the treatment of anxiety. However, these modalities have rarely been combined. Young people with long-term physical conditions have expressed a preference for well-designed and technologically-based support to deal with psychological issues, especially anxiety. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to co-design and evaluate the (i) acceptability and (ii) usability of a CBT and biofeedback-based, 5-module eHealth game called ‘Starship Rescue’ and (iii) to provide preliminary evidence regarding its effectiveness in addressing anxiety and quality of life in young people with long-term physical conditions. METHODS Starship Rescue was co-designed with children and young people from a tertiary hospital in Auckland, New Zealand. Following this, 24 young people aged 10 to 17 years were enrolled in an open trial, during which they were asked to use the game for an 8-week period. Acceptability of the game to all participants was assessed using a brief, open-ended questionnaire, and more detailed feedback was obtained from a subset of 10 participants via semi-structured interviews. Usability was evaluated via the System Usability Scale (SUS) and device-recorded frequency and duration of access on completion of the game. Anxiety levels were measured prior to commencement, on completion of the game, and 3 months later using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7) and Spence Child Anxiety Scales (SCAS), and at the start of each module and at the end of the game using an embedded Likert/visual analog scale. Quality of life was measured prior to commencement and on completion of the game using the Pediatric Quality of Life Scale (PEDS-QL). RESULTS Users gave Starship Rescue an overall rating of 5.9 out of 10 (range 3-10 and a mean score of 71 out of 100 (SD 11.7; min 47.5; max 90) on the System Usability Scale (SUS). The mean time period for use of the game was just over 11-weeks (78.8 days, 13.5 hours, 40 minutes). Significant reductions in anxiety were noted between the start and end of the game on the GAD-7 (-4.6 (p=0.000)), SCAS (-9.6 (p=0.005)), and the Likert/visual analogue scales (-2.4 (p=0.001)). Quality of life also improved on the PedsQL scale (+4.3 (p=0.042)). All changes were sustained at 3-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS This study provides preliminary evidence for Starship Rescue being an acceptable, usable and effective eHealth intervention for addressing anxiety in young people with long-term physical conditions. Further evaluation is planned via a more formal randomized controlled trial. CLINICALTRIAL Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Network Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12616001253493p;https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=371443 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6sYB716lf)

scholarly journals Rights of Nature Versus Nature Conservation Rights of Nature Versus Conventional Nature Conservation: International Lessons from Australia’s Tarkine Wilderness

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Benjamin Richardson ◽  
Nina Hamaski
Keyword(s):  
Nature Conservation ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Important Research ◽  
Rights Of Nature ◽  
Conceptual Shift ◽  
Important Research Question

The rights-of-nature model is gaining traction as an innovative legal approach for nature conservation. Although adopted in several countries, it remains in its infancy, including in Australia. An important research question is whether rights of nature will offer superior environmental outcomes compared to traditional nature conservation techniques including creation of protected areas. This article investigates that question through a case study of the Tarkine wilderness, in the Australia state of Tasmania. It first identifies key lessons from existing international experience with affirmation of rights of nature, such as in New Zealand and Ecuador. The article then explores how rights of nature could apply in Australia’s Tarkine region and their value compared to existing or potential protected areas and other nature conservation measures under Australian or Tasmanian law. Affirming rights of nature represents a major conceptual shift in how people via the law relate to the natural world, but whether the model offers practical benefits for nature conservation depends on a variety of conditions, in addition to the need to address broader societal drivers of environmentaldegradation.

scholarly journals The Effect of Blue-Green Infrastructure on Habitat Connectivity and Biodiversity: A Case Study in the Ōtākaro/Avon River Catchment in Christchurch, New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6732
Author(s):  
Thuy Thi Nguyen ◽  
Colin Meurk ◽  
Rubianca Benavidez ◽  
Bethanna Jackson ◽  
Markus Pahlow
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Habitat Connectivity ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Environmental Evaluation ◽  
Representative Species ◽  
The Matrix

The natural capital components in cities (“blue-green infrastructure” BGI) are designed to address long-term sustainability and create multi-benefits for society, culture, business, and ecology. We investigated the added value of BGI through the research question “Can the implementation of blue-green infrastructure lead to an improvement of habitat connectivity and biodiversity in urban environments?” To answer this, the Biological and Environmental Evaluation Tools for Landscape Ecology (BEETLE) within the Land Utilisation and Capability Indicator (LUCI) framework was adopted and applied in Christchurch, New Zealand, for the first time. Three ecologically representative species were selected. The parameterisation was based on ecological theory and expert judgment. By implementation of BGI, the percentages of habitats of interest for kereru and paradise shelduck increased by 3.3% and 2.5%, respectively. This leads to improved habitat connectivity. We suggest several opportunities for regenerating more native patches around the catchment to achieve the recommended minimum 10% target of indigenous cover. However, BGI alone cannot return a full suite of threatened wildlife to the city without predator-fenced breeding sanctuaries and wider pest control across the matrix. The socio-eco-spatial connectivity analysed in this study was formalised in terms of four interacting dimensions.

The engagement–addiction dilemma: an empirical evaluation of mobile user interface and mobile game affordance

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qianwen Yang ◽  
Xiang Gong
Keyword(s):  
User Interface ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Empirical Evaluation ◽  
Mobile User ◽  
Design Features ◽  
It Industry ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mobile Game

PurposeThe engagement–addiction dilemma has been commonly observed in the information technology (IT) industry. However, this issue has received limited research attention in the information system (IS) discipline. Drawing on the stimulus–organism–response (SOR) framework, this study explores the engagement–addiction dilemma in the use of mobile games and highlights the impacts of game design features, namely, mobile user interface and mobile game affordance.Design/methodology/approachThe research model was empirically validated using a longitudinal survey data from 410 mobile game users in China.FindingsThe empirical results offer several key findings. First, mobile user interface and mobile game affordance positively affect telepresence and social presence, which lead to meaningful engagement and mobile game addiction. Second, a high-quality of mobile user interface positively moderates the effects of mobile game affordance on telepresence and social presence.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by theorizing and empirically testing the impacts of game design features on the engagement-addiction dilemma.

scholarly journals Mobile three-dimensional visualisation technologies for clinician-led fall prevention assessments

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 788-810 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian Hamm ◽  
Arthur G Money ◽  
Anita Atwal ◽  
Gheorghita Ghinea
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Dimensional Measurement ◽  
Fall Risk Factors ◽  
System Usability Scale ◽  
Process Guidance ◽  
Three Dimensional Measurement

The assistive equipment provision process is routinely carried out with patients to mitigate fall risk factors via the fitment of assistive equipment within the home. However, currently, over 50% of assistive equipment is abandoned by the patients due to poor fit between the patient and the assistive equipment. This paper explores clinician perceptions of an early stage three-dimensional measurement aid prototype, which provides enhanced assistive equipment provision process guidance to clinicians. Ten occupational therapists trialled the three-dimensional measurement aid prototype application; think-aloud and semi-structured interview data was collected. Usability was measured with the System Usability Scale. Participants scored three-dimensional measurement aid prototype as ‘excellent’ and agreed strongly with items relating to the usability and learnability of the application. The qualitative analysis identified opportunities for improving existing practice, including, improved interpretation/recording measurements; enhanced collaborative practice within the assistive equipment provision process. Future research is needed to determine the clinical utility of this application compared with two-dimensional counterpart paper-based guidance leaflets.

scholarly journals Factors that Encourage Student Engagement: Insights from a Case Study of ‘First Time’ Students in a New Zealand University.

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-96
Author(s):  
Barbara Russell ◽  
◽  
Gloria R L Slater ◽  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Active Citizenship ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
First Time

This case study reports on the findings from one of nine tertiary institutions that took part in a project funded by the Teaching and Learning Research Initiative (TLRI) in New Zealand. The research question explored how institutional and non institutional learning environments influence student engagement with learning in a higher education, university setting. Data was collected initially by means of a questionnaire; subsequently more in-depth data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with students randomly selected from those who indicated, on the questionnaire, that they were willing to be interviewed. Respondents were enrolled for the first time in this institution, but not necessarily for the first time in a tertiary education programme. A conceptual model with four strands: motivation and agency; transactional engagement; institutional support and active citizenship was used to organise the data. Findings were analysed against a synthesis of current literature and suggest that factors identified in the first three strands of the conceptual model played a significant role in student engagement with learning; active citizenship, however, did not feature highly in student responses and is an aspect of engagement that could benefit from further research.

scholarly journals O Le Si'Osi'Omaga O Le Punafanau Lea O Se Gagana E Ola: The Linguistic Landscape Of Samoa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Faith Esera
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
English Language ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Digital Camera ◽  
Linguistic Landscape ◽  
Official Language ◽  
Language Policies ◽  
Education Policies ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Official Status

<p>The official language of Sāmoa is Samoan, but the majority of the population speak English as a second language. Because of early contact with missionaries and colonial powers, the English language soon became widely acknowledged and used in Sāmoa. Even after Sāmoa became independent from New Zealand, the English language was and is still recognised, but not made official, in the Constitution of Sāmoa and education policies.  This paper reports on the languages that are present in the linguistic landscape of Sāmoa. The main purpose of the study was to identify the predominant language used in Sāmoa, and to analyse ‘hybridity’ or ‘dualism’ on signs that contained the Samoan language. The data consists of 987 signs taken from two survey areas, Apia and Salelologa, using a digital camera. Scollon and Scollon’s (2003) ‘Place Semiotics’ was used to give an overview of the preferred code in the LL of Sāmoa. The ‘Motu Analysis’, a reconceptualization of Backhaus’s ‘part writing’ types, was used to analyse how two or more languages are used and positioned on signs in the LL; this analysis responds to the research question on ‘hybridity’. The final step involved a closer analysis of the subset of signs containing the Samoan language to detect signs of hybridity through loanwords and semantic extensions.  The results of the analyses indicated that English is the dominant language in the linguistic landscape of Sāmoa despite lacking official status in the language policies of Sāmoa. The findings further reveal that the English influence on the Samoan language on the signs is reflected more in semantic loans than loanwords, revealing a healthier picture of the Samoan language. The study concludes with possible lines of research for further studies in Sāmoa and the Pacific.</p>

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