Measuring User Experience of Older Adults during Virtual Reality Exergaming

Advances in Virtual Reality (VR) technology have made it a promising medium for application and research in different fields. VR has the potential to contribute to healthy ageing, specifically physical activity (PA) through exergaming with its positive effects on retention, rehabilitation, adherence, and motivation. However, the majority of VR exergames are designed for younger audiences. To build effective interventions promoting PA, more health psychology research is needed to understand the experience of middle-aged and older adults when VR exergaming. Common accessibility barriers in VR studies are especially relevant to older adults and the design of VR assessment tools to administer questionnaires in VR has focused on young participants. In a study with 21 older adults over 50, we quantified their VR exergaming experience and evaluated the practicability of a VR assessment tool to measure emotions and cognitions. Results indicate a positive influence of VR exergaming on participants' affect and enjoyment of PA. Perceived challenge, heart rate, and exertion levels followed the intended intensity manipulation curve while participants maintained high levels of flow and PA-related self-efficacy. Participant feedback suggests that the VR assessment tool facilitates reliable data collection with minimal impact on psychological measurements. The comprehensive onboarding protocol and overall procedure contributed to assessment economy and reasonableness. This report offers valuable insights for researchers on tailoring VR interventions for older adults and improving VR assessment quality.