Abstract
Gamification and interactive technology have shown promise in enhancing upper-limb stroke rehabilitation by improving patient engagement and motor recovery. However, how to design for patients’ motivation in game-based rehabilitation remains underexplored. This study conducts a scoping review of the game-based rehabilitation literature (2010–2025), with a focus on gamified goal setting, to understand how rehabilitation goals are integrated into game mechanics. Drawing on Yu-kai Chou’s Octalysis Framework, we analyze and discuss how goals can be designed in game-based rehabilitation to influence patient motivation and adherence. Our findings highlight a gap between therapeutic objectives and playful interaction in many existing systems, offering practical design implications for aligning clinical goals with engaging game experiences. This work provides a foundation for researchers, clinicians, and HCI designers to develop more effective and meaningful game-based interventions in stroke rehabilitation.
Keywords
Goal setting; Motivation; Gamification; Game-based rehabilitation; Upper-limb
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.1076
Citation
Tian, Y., Dai, Y.,and Chen, J.(2025) Gamified Goal Setting in Upper-limb Stroke Rehabilitation: A Motivation-driven Scoping Review, in Chang, C.-Y., and Hsu, Y. (eds.), IASDR 2025: Design Next, 02-05 December, Taiwan. https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.1076
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Track 9 - Healthcare Design
Gamified Goal Setting in Upper-limb Stroke Rehabilitation: A Motivation-driven Scoping Review
Gamification and interactive technology have shown promise in enhancing upper-limb stroke rehabilitation by improving patient engagement and motor recovery. However, how to design for patients’ motivation in game-based rehabilitation remains underexplored. This study conducts a scoping review of the game-based rehabilitation literature (2010–2025), with a focus on gamified goal setting, to understand how rehabilitation goals are integrated into game mechanics. Drawing on Yu-kai Chou’s Octalysis Framework, we analyze and discuss how goals can be designed in game-based rehabilitation to influence patient motivation and adherence. Our findings highlight a gap between therapeutic objectives and playful interaction in many existing systems, offering practical design implications for aligning clinical goals with engaging game experiences. This work provides a foundation for researchers, clinicians, and HCI designers to develop more effective and meaningful game-based interventions in stroke rehabilitation.