Andre Doucette

Games as neurofeedback training for children with FASD

Biofeedback games help people maintain specific mental or physical states and are useful to help children with cognitive impairments learn to self-regulate their brain function. However, biofeedback games are expensive and difficult to create and are not sufficiently appealing to hold a childs interest over the long term needed for effective biofeedback training. We present a system that turns off-the-shelf computer games into biofeedback games. Our approach uses texture-based graphical overlays that vary in their obfuscation of underlying screen elements based on the sensed physiological state of the child. The textures can be visually customized so that they appear to be integrated with the underlying game. Through a 12-week deployment, with 16 children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, we show that our solution can hold a childs interest over a long term, and balances the competing needs of maintaining the fun of playing, while providing effective biofeedback training.

The Effects of Graphical Fidelity on Player Experience

Graphical assets in video games have become increasingly complex over the years, but little is known about their effect on player experience (PX). In this paper, we present results of a controlled study with 48 participants comparing how abstract and stylized graphics influence player experience in casual games. Our results show that high-fidelity graphics result in a more positive impression of the game. However, we also show that many effects are only present in the game with a more challenging mechanic. This shows that casual games can be compelling and enjoyable to play despite simplistic graphics, suggesting that small game developers and researchers need not focus on elaborate visuals to engage players.

Turning off-the-shelf games into biofeedback games

Biofeedback games help users maintain specific mental or physical states and are useful to help people with cognitive impairments learn to self-regulate their brain function. However, biofeedback games are expensive and difficult to create and are not sufficiently appealing to hold a users interest over the long term. We present two systems that turn off-the-shelf games into biofeedback games. Our desktop approach uses visual feedback via texture-based graphical overlays that vary in their obfuscation of an underlying game based on the users physiological state. Our mobile approach presents multi-modal feedback (audio or vibration) of a users physiological state on an iPhone.

Looking Ahead: A Comparison of Page Preview Techniques for Goal-Directed Web Navigation

On the World Wide Web, page previews augment hyperlinks to provide extra information about each links destination. These previews can reduce navigation time and errors in goal-directed navigation tasks when the information provided by the text and context of links is inadequate. A number of different types of page previews have been proposed, and some are already in use; however, little is known about which preview types will consistently help users make good navigation decisions. Our study compares six preview techniques (title, URL, subject category, page genre, genre symbol, and thumbnail), two delivery mechanisms (inline and popup), and two page load times (fast and slow). We found that previews showing the genre of the page (e.g., whether the page is an information page or a search page) yielded significantly faster performance than other preview techniques, and participants also preferred the genre-based previews. Our study is the first to compare the performance of a wide range of page previews in a naturalistic, non-search environment, and provides empirical data that can improve support for goal-directed navigation.