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Review
. 2016 Oct 4;4(2):e17.
doi: 10.2196/games.5860.

Usability Evaluation Methods for Gesture-Based Games: A Systematic Review

Fernando Winckler Simor  1 , Manoela Rogofski Brum, Jaison Dairon Ebertz Schmidt, Rafael Rieder, Ana Carolina Bertoletti De Marchi
Affiliations
Review

Usability Evaluation Methods for Gesture-Based Games: A Systematic Review

Fernando Winckler Simor et al. JMIR Serious Games. .

Abstract

Background: Gestural interaction systems are increasingly being used, mainly in games, expanding the idea of entertainment and providing experiences with the purpose of promoting better physical and/or mental health. Therefore, it is necessary to establish mechanisms for evaluating the usability of these interfaces, which make gestures the basis of interaction, to achieve a balance between functionality and ease of use.

Objective: This study aims to present the results of a systematic review focused on usability evaluation methods for gesture-based games, considering devices with motion-sensing capability. We considered the usability methods used, the common interface issues, and the strategies adopted to build good gesture-based games.

Methods: The research was centered on four electronic databases: IEEE, Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), Springer, and Science Direct from September 4 to 21, 2015. Within 1427 studies evaluated, 10 matched the eligibility criteria. As a requirement, we considered studies about gesture-based games, Kinect and/or Wii as devices, and the use of a usability method to evaluate the user interface.

Results: In the 10 studies found, there was no standardization in the methods because they considered diverse analysis variables. Heterogeneously, authors used different instruments to evaluate gesture-based interfaces and no default approach was proposed. Questionnaires were the most used instruments (70%, 7/10), followed by interviews (30%, 3/10), and observation and video recording (20%, 2/10). Moreover, 60% (6/10) of the studies used gesture-based serious games to evaluate the performance of elderly participants in rehabilitation tasks. This highlights the need for creating an evaluation protocol for older adults to provide a user-friendly interface according to the user's age and limitations.

Conclusions: Through this study, we conclude this field is in need of a usability evaluation method for serious games, especially games for older adults, and that the definition of a methodology and a test protocol may offer the user more comfort, welfare, and confidence.

Keywords: computer games; evaluation; gestural input; gesture-based games; method; usability evaluation; usability testing.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of identified studies. ACM: Association for Computing Machinery.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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