Towards a Methodology for Serious Games Design for Children with Auditory Impairments

The design of a serious game depends on number of factors, including collaboration between different actors, context of use, user profile, and game mechanics. This article presents a methodology for the design of serious games for children with hearing impairments, using a Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) approach. The proposed methodology has been applied in a study case for children with hearing impairments in the USAER program in Aguascalientes, Mexico, where the experience of children using the ABC-Spanish game in literacy learning is evaluated. The results obtained on evaluating user experience help to identify aspects in the game mechanics, such as the most appropriate device, continuous feedback, challenges, scoring system, and learning levels. Based on the analysis of requirements, user needs are identified in an educational context incorporating a learning style called Fitzgerald Key. A heuristics set forms a validation model that allows the level of accomplishment of pedagogical objectives of the prototype game to be assessed. The results are positive. The questionnaire responses produced a high score of 80% indicating success on identifying features to be improved and integrated in the methodology.