It Depends: Re_Authoring Play Through Clinical Reasoning in Wearable AR Rehab Games
This work addresses the challenge of translating AR rehab games from labs to clinical practice by providing a framework for personalized play, though it is incremental in building on existing AR and rehabilitation research.
The study investigated how physical therapists adapt augmented reality (AR) games for rehabilitation, identifying three re-authoring strategies—co-authored, situated, and dual play—and reframing 'It depends' as a design principle to enhance clinical integration.
Augmented reality games hold promise for rehabilitation, yet most remain confined to laboratory studies with limited clinical uptake. Recent advances in spatial computing, especially lightweight, glasses_form_factor AR, create a timely opportunity to embed rehabilitative play into clinical practice and daily contexts. To investigate this potential, we systematically reviewed 132 applications and conducted playtesting with 14 licensed physical therapists. Our analysis revealed three ways therapists re_authored AR games: co_authored play (reshaping movements, progressions, and difficulty), situated play (adapting across specialties, conditions, and contexts), and dual play (mediating both physical recovery and psychological support). We reframe therapists' frequent phrase_It depends_as a generative design principle. This study contributes a clinical reasoning_based framework and design principles and guidelines for creating personalized, situated forms of play that align with therapists' everyday workflows and inform future lab_to_clinic translation.