Loneliness among older adults is a major societal problem. Research shows that feelings of loneliness are often linked to a lack of social relationships and social connectivity. Therefore, most loneliness interventions are focussing on strengthening and expanding the social life of older adults. Lonely older adults can also experience a lack of meaning in life, which can be countered by meaning-making interventions. Literature provides minimal insight into the design rationale of those interventions. This paper aims to provide insight into the design rationale of a Virtual Reality (VR) artefact for older adults with feelings of loneliness. The artefact focuses on retrieving meaningful memories through reminiscence. The needs and context of the participants were mapped by Research through Design (RtD), and a prototype was designed and tested. Preliminary test results suggest that VR-reminiscence can promote the well-being of lonely older adults, as well as the participatory design approach itself. VR-reminiscence triggered in-depth conversations about past, present, and future life. Based on the results of this study, it is recommended to design loneliness interventions beyond merely social relationships and social connectivity through designing tailored interventions that focus on the individual experience of loneliness by engaging older adults in the design process.@en

Background: The usefulness and importance of serious games and simulations in learning and behavior change for health and health-related issues are widely recognized. Studies have addressed games and simulations as interventions, mostly in comparison with their analog counterparts. Numerous complex design choices have to be made with serious games and simulations for health, including choices that directly contribute to the effects of the intervention. One of these decisions is the way an intervention is expected to lead to desirable transfer effects. Most designs adopt a first-class transfer rationale, whereas the second class of transfer types seems a rarity in serious games and simulations for health. Objective: This study sought to review the literature specifically on the second class of transfer types in the design of serious games and simulations. Focusing on game-like interventions for health and health care, this study aimed to (1) determine whether the second class of transfer is recognized as a road for transfer in game-like interventions, (2) review the application of the second class of transfer type in designing game-like interventions, and (3) assess studies that include second-class transfer types reporting transfer outcomes. Methods: A total of 6 Web-based databases were systematically searched by titles, abstracts, and keywords using the search strategy (video games OR game OR games OR gaming OR computer simulation*) AND (software design OR design) AND (fidelity OR fidelities OR transfer* OR behaviour OR behavior). The databases searched were identified as relevant to health, education, and social science. Results: A total of 15 relevant studies were included, covering a range of game-like interventions, all more or less mentioning design parameters aimed at transfer. We found 9 studies where first-class transfer was part of the design of the intervention. In total, 8 studies dealt with transfer concepts and fidelity types in game-like intervention design in general; 3 studies dealt with the concept of second-class transfer types and reported effects, and 2 of those recognized transfer as a design parameter. Conclusions: In studies on game-like interventions for health and health care, transfer is regarded as a desirable effect but not as a basic principle for design. None of the studies determined the second class of transfer or instances thereof, although in 3 cases a nonliteral transfer type was present. We also found that studies on game-like interventions for health do not elucidate design choices made and rarely provide design principles for future work. Games and simulations for health abundantly build upon the principles of first-class transfer, but the adoption of second-class transfer types proves scarce. It is likely to be worthwhile to explore the possibilities of second-class transfer types, as they may considerably influence educational objectives in terms of future serious game design for health. Keywords: abstract learning; computer simulation; fidelity; games for health; immersion; metaphor; serious games; transfer; video games.@en