Development and Beta Testing of Serious Game-Based Auditory Training Application to Enhance Perceptual Learning of Speech in Cochlear Implant Recipients

Purpose: Computer-based applications became a popular option for auditory training, but their efficacy can be compromised by lack of users' compliance. Serious games are a new emerging field that promotes the use of games for purposes other than entertainment. The purpose of this clinical focus article was to describe the design and development of a new serious game-based auditory training application that aims at enhancing perceptual learning of speech in cochlear implant (CI) recipients. Method: Using a participatory action research protocol, three phases were used in the process of development of this application to ensure its appropriateness for the target population. There were eight participants in Phase I, 16 partici-pants in Phase II, and 51 participants in Phase III. In Phase III, participants were required to provide feedback using an online questionnaire after a 1-week trial period. Results: Participants' feedback and reflection from each phase were used to enhance the design and functionality of the final application. Results from Phase III demonstrated that greater than 90% of participants in both groups rated their satisfaction with several features of the games 4 or more on a 5-point Likert scale, with 1 being very dissatisfied and 5 being very satisfied. Differences in mean ratings for some features were significantly different between the two groups, perhaps reflecting differences in their auditory abilities. Conclusion: Results demonstrated that participants were highly satisfied with several features of the application, suggesting its potential to offer CI users a unique training opportunity by presenting repetitive and structured listening exercises using serious games.