Using Gamification and Tangible User Interfaces to Treat Asthmatic Children

Abstract

Approximately 20 per cent of the Norwegian population has or has had asthma by the age of 10. Treating children for asthma is often a cumbersome and time-consuming task. Research has shown that tangible user interfaces and mobile applications in medical care have given positive effects in a number of different settings. The BLOPP project group has previously proved that distracting the child while he/she is taking his/her asthma medicine is positive for the child's experience. In our research we aimed to answer ``How can gamification be used to motivate children to take their asthma medicine?'' and ``How can tangible user interfaces be used to help children with asthma?''. To answer these questions, we have performed a literature study, conducted semi-structured interviews with domain experts and developed prototypes. A tangible user interface, AsthmaBuddy, and a smartphone application, AsthmAPP, was developed. These prototypes were then tested on children, as a validation test. During our research we have discovered several possibilities for how gamification can be used to motivate children with asthma, in addition to some ways gamification is not applicable to the situation. We have discovered several ways a TUI may help asthmatic children and their parents, such as keeping logs, informing, reminding and distracting the children during a treatment.