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Abstract. As serious games rise in number and popularity, particularly for therapeutic purposes, so rises the importance of making these games accessible to those with disabilities. We discuss the state of accessibility for commercial and research-based serious games, common age-related considerations for accessible designs, and recommendations for usability testing protocols. We close with a case study of a visual accessibility investigation of a research-based cognitive training game, Food for Thought.

Within distracting environments, it is difficult to maintain attentional focus on complex tasks. Cognitive aids can support attention by adding relevant information to the environment, such as via augmented reality (AR). However, there may be a benefit in removing elements from the environment, such as irrelevant alarms, displays, and conversations. De-emphasis of distracting elements is a type of AR called Diminished Reality (DR). Although de-emphasizing distraction may help focus on a primary task, it may also reduce situational awareness (SA) of other activities that may become relevant. In the current study, participants will assemble a medical ventilator during a simulated emergency while experiencing varying levels of DR. Participants will also be probed to assess secondary SA. We anticipate that participants will have better accuracy and completion times in the full DR conditions but their SA will suffer. Future applications include the design of future DR systems and improved training methods.

Fast-paced environments require operators who perform in them to use their cognitive abilities such as perception and memory to complete tasks. Individual differences in ability can result in different outcomes. Previous research has shown that common errors in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) can be reduced if individual differences in cognition, such as attentional ability, are addressed. The goal of this research is to understand how cognitive aids in the form of Augmented Reality (AR) can reduce errors and perceived workload, as well as mitigate differences in performance and attentional ability between individuals.

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