Abstract
“Portal for sharing teaching experience in the inclusion of diversity” corresponds to axis 4.2. of the project Skills for the Next Generation of the University of Porto by supporting the development of innovative and inclusive pedagogical resources, sharing information, experience about inclusivity and ludic tools to cope with the individual differences integrated with the university's information system. This project is intended to contribute to the achievement of the inclusive priorities defined at the European level through a web platform capable of deliverable informative content and gamified resources (serious and critical games) to give adequate support for the university academy, not only to cope with the difference but to take advantage of it, dealing with human differences and specificities as an asset to the community, unlike shortcomings.
TopMethodology
We developed a methodology based on Human-Centred Design (HCD), co-creating with stakeholders and potential users. This helped us better understand how to reconcile their diverse needs and expectations and gather knowledge about their contexts. The S4NG axis 4.2 methodology is composed of 7 steps:
- 1.
User Research: Carrying out in-depth interviews with members of the university's Inclusion Support Centre and members of the other axes of the project; Focus Group sessions with a voluntary sample of Professors; Monitoring of Professors’ classes according to the Shadowing observation method; Conducting Surveys and Cultural Probes with students.
- 2.
Platform Information Architecture: With the identification of User Personas, the creation of Context Scenarios, and the definition of Functional, Informational, Environmental and User Requirements alongside the Design of Wireflows.
- 3.
Monitoring and Registration of Contents: A survey of registration typologies and ways of viewing information.
- 4.
Gamification Strategies: A survey of inclusive and serious games (in the context of education and inclusion) and a survey of inclusive platforms.
- 5.
Co-Design of Gamified Content: Workshops with participants from the academic community to co-create game concepts for inclusion.
- 6.
Platform’s User Interface: Creating low and high-fidelity prototypes in web and mobile versions; planning and conducting usability tests; analysing results and iteration on the prototype.
- 7.
Functional prototype of the platform and games: Implementation and User Experience Assessment of the platform.
TopThe games and the ludic activities we developed in previous health and wellbeing projects highlight the contribution of Design to modern healthcare challenges as a novel and promising intervention area. We call it Positive Play (Cardoso et al., 2021). A term derived from Positive Computing, the design and development of technology to support human well-being and human potential (Calvo & Peters, 2017). Positive Play is then a concept that relocates such premise to the humanistic field of game design and ludic tools used to support human-centred design (e.g., user research and co-design).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Positive Play: A term derived from Positive Computing, coined by Professors Bruno Giesteira and Pedro Cardoso, consisting of the design and development of technology to support human well-being and human potential. The Positive Play concept relocates this premise in the humanistic field of design gamified and ludic tools used to support Human-Centred Design (e.g., 'User Research' and Co-Design phases).
Co-Design Empathy for Well-Being: Empathy is the process development request, that needs to be even more collaborative, throughout co-designing methods. Furthermore, it is possible to highlight the well-being as the final goal, preserving dimensions like physical, mental and affective, as the path that should follow human beings during different life stages—concerning the older adults, as the leitmotiv of the authors in this chapter.
Gamification to Rehabilitation: Ludify processes that involve specific mechanics that enhance patient’s engagement, in different rehabilitation treatments — most of the time repetitive and monotonous methods to performance — thus promoting motivation and resilience.