Designing Virtual Reality for Cognitive Assessment

Traditional methods for assessing memory are expensive and have high administrative costs. Memory assessment is important for detecting dementia particularly in older adults. In this study, we develop and test a Virtual reality (VR) technology to assist in establishing better quality outcomes in dementia screening while maintaining a low level of stress in individuals. VR-CogAssess is an immersive virtual platform designed to meet usability needs of older adults while delivering a feasible option for memory assessment.

Findings from a pilot study (n=42), compared VR-CogAssess to standard PC with promising results. The research contributes a new design direction and a set of recommendations for supporting usability needs of older adult users in VR.