Applying personas in designing exergames for knee arthrosis

Personas are user archetypes created during the software development to highlight the essential differences of users within a target group. Personas are a less familiar design method in a game development context where they have mainly been used for in-game character creation and post-play player profiling. However, personas can guide detailed design decisions and define specific features when developing serious games for health. This paper shows a practical example of utilizing personas in the development of rehabilitation games for people with knee osteoarthritis — a common disease among elderly and people in their late working age that causes disability and pain.