MinD

Funding programme

Horizon 2020 – Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (MSCA-RISE)

Project reference

691001

Period

2016–2020

Coordinating organisation

University of Wolverhampton

Participating countries

United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, Cyprus

Official project website

Visit official website

MinD (Designing for People with Dementia: Designing for Mindful Self-Empowerment and Social Engagement) aimed to improve the psychosocial wellbeing and social participation of people living with dementia through inclusive, participatory and mindful design.

The project explored how products, environments and everyday activities could support personal identity, confidence, autonomy and meaningful relationships, particularly following a dementia diagnosis.

Its principal Board Game-Based Learning contribution was This is Me, subsequently commercialised as All About Us, a physical life-storytelling game designed to encourage conversation and reflection in a welcoming social environment.

Specific educational and psychosocial objectives

• Social engagement: Create opportunities for meaningful interaction with family members, friends, other people living with dementia and care professionals.
• Personal identity: Encourage participants to express who they are through their experiences, relationships, preferences and aspirations.
• Life-storytelling: Facilitate the sharing of personal narratives covering different stages of life.
• Reminiscence: Encourage participants to recall and discuss meaningful memories in a supportive environment.
• Present-moment awareness: Promote attention to current feelings, experiences and interactions through mindful reflection.
• Future orientation: Encourage participants to discuss what they would like to do, experience or achieve in the future.
• Self-expression: Provide opportunities to share opinions, experiences and emotions without requiring objectively correct answers.
• Agency: Support participants’ ability to make choices about what they wish to say and how they participate.
• Confidence: Encourage a sense of capability and personal value through positive social interaction.
• Reciprocity: Enable all players, including carers, to exchange experiences rather than establishing an exclusively caregiver-led interaction.
• Interpersonal understanding: Help participants discover information about one another that may not emerge during routine daily conversations.
• Social inclusion: Provide accessible opportunities for participation by people who may encounter barriers in conventional social activities.
• Emotional wellbeing: Support enjoyable, comfortable and meaningful shared experiences.
• Respectful communication: Encourage listening, turn-taking and recognition of different perspectives.
• Personal choice: Allow participants to decide whether to answer, elaborate on or pass over a particular question.
• Intergenerational interaction: Facilitate conversations between people of different ages about life experiences, relationships and aspirations.
• Caregiver understanding: Create opportunities for relatives and professionals to appreciate participants’ personal histories and current priorities.
• Accessible participation: Support engagement through clear instructions, large components, colour and symbol coding, and flexible rules.

Six thematic areas of the game

The original This is Me game organised its questions into six categories:

1. Memories.
2. Activities.
3. Relationships.
4. Experiences.
5. Achievements.
6. Dreams.

These categories encourage participants to consider their lives from different perspectives rather than focusing exclusively on memory recall.

Relationship with the wider project

MinD also aimed to establish a participatory design methodology for developing products and services with people living with dementia.

The project produced guidelines and tools intended to help designers, researchers and care professionals recognise participants as active contributors to decisions affecting their everyday lives.

This is Me demonstrates how these principles can be incorporated into the design of a physical board game.

The objectives listed above are intended educational and psychosocial contributions. The available research provides qualitative evidence of positive experiences but does not establish clinical efficacy or long-term changes in wellbeing.

MinD developed an original physical board game called This is Me, later launched commercially under the name All About Us.

The game was co-designed with people living with dementia, care partners, healthcare professionals, designers and researchers from the international MinD consortium.

Its objective is to facilitate life-storytelling, shared reminiscence, present-moment reflection and discussion of future aspirations in an inclusive social setting.

1. This is Me / All About Us – Mindful Life-Storytelling Board Game

The game is organised around a life-story path divided into decades, beginning with childhood and continuing beyond the age of 100.

Players move along the board using a special die containing symbols rather than conventional numerical values.

The symbols and colours identify corresponding question cards, which invite participants to talk about their experiences, relationships, activities, achievements and aspirations.

Documented game characteristics

• Original title: This is Me (TIM).
• Commercial title: All About Us.
• Game type: Custom-designed physical life-storytelling board game.
• Game approach: Cooperative and non-competitive conversation through reminiscence and mindful reflection.
• Players: 2–4 individuals or small groups.
• Target audience: People with early- to mid-stage dementia, family members, friends and care professionals.
• Typical duration: Approximately 30–60 minutes, adaptable to participants’ needs and preferences.
• Original game components: One board, 66 question cards, one symbol-based die and four counters.
• Game setting: A personal life journey organised into decades.
• Primary objective: Encourage meaningful conversation and exchange of life experiences.
• Scoring: No conventional competitive scoring or winner is required.
• Development: Participatory co-design and evaluation within the MinD project.
• Commercial launch: February 2022, in collaboration with Relish.

Main game components

• Life-story board: A coloured path representing successive decades of life.
• Question cards: Open-ended prompts covering different aspects of personal experience.
• Symbol-based die: Six symbols determine which question category is selected.
• Player counters: Large pieces that mark each player’s position along the life-story path.
• Colour and symbol coding: Matching visual cues connect the board, cards and die.
• Card holder: The commercial edition provides a tray to organise and display the cards.

Six types of questions

1. Memories: Recalling events, places and people associated with different periods of life.
2. Activities: Discussing past and present interests, routines, hobbies and enjoyable activities.
3. Relationships: Sharing experiences involving family, friends and other significant people.
4. Experiences: Exploring situations, emotions and events that have shaped personal identity.
5. Achievements: Recognising personal accomplishments and sources of pride.
6. Dreams: Discussing aspirations, wishes and possibilities for the present or future.

Main game mechanics

1. Turn-taking: Players take turns rolling the die and choosing a question.
2. Symbol-based movement: The die identifies a symbol that determines progression to a corresponding space.
3. Colour matching: Players select a question card associated with the colour and symbol of their board position.
4. Life-stage progression: The board guides discussion through childhood, adulthood and later life.
5. Open-ended questions: Cards initiate conversation without requiring a single correct response.
6. Storytelling: Participants develop personal narratives from their answers.
7. Shared participation: Other players may respond to the same question or move to the next turn.
8. Flexible interaction: Participants may modify the pace, choose how much to share and receive assistance when appropriate.
9. Cooperative experience: The main purpose is shared conversation rather than defeating other players.
10. Future-oriented reflection: Questions concerning later life may be answered imaginatively, allowing participants to discuss hopes and aspirations.

Game sequence

1. The question cards are arranged by life stage and category.
2. Players place their counters at the beginning of the life-story path.
3. The first participant rolls the symbol-based die.
4. The counter moves to the next appropriate symbol within the relevant decade.
5. The participant selects the corresponding card.
6. The question is read aloud, with assistance if necessary.
7. The participant answers or shares a related story.
8. Other players may contribute to the same conversation.
9. The next player takes a turn.
10. The group continues for as long as the participants find the experience comfortable and enjoyable.

Accessibility-oriented design

The game was developed to respond to cognitive, sensory and motor accessibility requirements.

Its design incorporates:

• Large and easy-to-handle physical components.
• Colour and symbol coding to support recognition.
• Large, legible question text.
• Clear visual organisation.
• Flexible rules and optional assistance.
• Open-ended rather than memory-testing questions.
• Familiar, personally meaningful subject matter.
• A positive and non-stigmatising visual identity.

The development process also revealed accessibility challenges, including colour contrast, question wording and the demands associated with handling different components.

These observations informed subsequent design improvements.

Research and commercial versions

The original research prototype contained 66 question cards. The official project website and Alzheimer’s Society continue to describe this configuration.

The current Relish product listing also identifies the board, die, counters and cards, although one product specification lists 60 cards rather than 66.

This difference should be verified when documenting a specific commercial edition.

Game availability

This is Me was commercially launched under the name All About Us in February 2022.

The physical game continues to be listed by Relish and specialist dementia support organisations.

This is Me / All About Us – Official Project Description

All About Us – Commercial Game by Relish

A free print-and-play package containing the complete board, cards and rules has not been identified.

2. Let’s Meet Up! – Hybrid Electronic Social Engagement Prototype

MinD also developed a hybrid tangible-digital concept called Let’s Meet Up!.

The system combines a board-game-like physical interface with digital functionality intended to help people living with dementia organise social activities and remain connected with family and friends.

Its concept includes a horizontal interactive surface and tangible pieces that users can move to interact with information about potential social activities.

The design aims to hide technological complexity beneath familiar physical interactions.

Documented status: An experiential prototype was developed and evaluated with users. The project website describes further development of a fully functional prototype but does not confirm its final public release.

Let’s Meet Up! should therefore be classified as a hybrid tangible-digital prototype, not as a second commercially available physical board game.

Let’s Meet Up! – Official Prototype Description

Overall game approach

The appropriate primary classification is Custom-Designed Educational Games.

This is Me / All About Us is the project’s principal verified physical board game. Let’s Meet Up! is a complementary technology-assisted social participation prototype.

MinD adopted a participatory, person-centred design methodology combining mindful reflection, life-storytelling, reminiscence and social interaction.

The development of This is Me / All About Us followed a co-design process involving people living with dementia, care partners, healthcare professionals, researchers and designers.

A defining methodological principle was to design with people living with dementia rather than simply designing products for them.

Pedagogical and methodological foundations

• Participatory co-design: Intended users contributed to identifying needs, developing concepts and improving the physical game.
• Person-centred learning: Activities focus on the participant’s identity, experiences, priorities and preferences.
• Life-storytelling: Sharing personal narratives provides the central activity of gameplay.
• Reminiscence: Questions about earlier life stages encourage the voluntary recall and discussion of personal experiences.
• Mindful reflection: Players are invited to consider present feelings and future possibilities rather than remaining focused exclusively on the past.
• Social learning: Participants exchange stories, listen to one another and discover shared or contrasting experiences.
• Inclusive game design: Visual and physical accessibility are considered throughout development.
• Shared agency: The game allows participants to decide how much to contribute and whether others should answer the same question.
• Non-competitive play: Conversation and interpersonal connection replace winning or accumulating points as the central purpose.
• Flexible facilitation: Participants and supporting adults can adapt the pace and rules to individual preferences and abilities.

Co-design and development process

1. Needs assessment: Researchers explored how dementia affected participants’ experiences of identity, relationships, social engagement and everyday activities.
2. Participation of people with lived experience: People living with dementia and carers contributed their perspectives through interviews and participatory activities.
3. Concept development: The consortium identified life-storytelling and mindful reflection as potentially valuable foundations for social interaction.
4. Prototype development: Designers created a physical board game representing a life journey through successive decades.
5. Question development: Open-ended prompts were organised around memories, activities, relationships, experiences, achievements and dreams.
6. Accessibility design: The team considered component size, visual contrast, language, ease of handling and clarity of instructions.
7. Multilingual adaptation: Prototypes were prepared for evaluation in English, German, Dutch and Spanish.
8. Multinational evaluation: Participants tested the game in group and home settings across four European countries.
9. Design refinement: Participant feedback informed improvements to colour contrast, physical components and question presentation.
10. Commercial development: The research team worked with Relish to develop and release a manufactured version called All About Us.

Educational session structure

The published evaluation describes a flexible approach rather than a rigid, time-limited game session.

In the research settings, a typical sequence involved:

1. Preparation: Researchers or facilitators arranged a comfortable setting and introduced the activity.
2. Consent and choice: Participants were informed about the research and invited to decide whether they wished to take part.
3. Social introduction: Ice-breaker activities helped create a welcoming and respectful atmosphere.
4. Game explanation: The facilitator introduced the board, cards, symbols, counters and flexible playing rules.
5. Life-storytelling: Participants selected cards and responded to questions about their experiences and aspirations.
6. Shared conversation: Other players could respond to the same question or contribute related stories.
7. Flexible progression: The group continued at a comfortable pace, with assistance when requested.
8. Reflection and feedback: Researchers discussed participants’ experiences, enjoyment, ease of use and feelings during gameplay.

Role of facilitators and carers

The game is designed to encourage equal participation, but support from a family member, researcher or care professional may be helpful.

Facilitators can:

• Explain the rules and demonstrate how to select cards.
• Read questions aloud when appropriate.
• Allow sufficient time for participants to respond.
• Encourage voluntary contributions without pressuring anyone to share.
• Help participants understand the connection between the die, board symbols and cards.
• Adapt the length and pace of sessions to the group’s needs.
• Respond sensitively when questions evoke difficult memories or emotions.
• Support conversation without dominating or correcting personal narratives unnecessarily.

Reflection and emotional safeguards

Reflection is embedded in the question-card system itself, particularly in prompts addressing experiences, achievements and future aspirations.

Participants are not required to reconstruct a perfectly accurate account of their lives. The educational and social purpose is the sharing of meaningful experiences and perspectives.

Nevertheless, recollection may evoke sadness

MinD was implemented between March 2016 and February 2020 as a Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research and Innovation Staff Exchange project coordinated by the University of Wolverhampton (United Kingdom).

The project combined interdisciplinary research, participatory design, prototype development and user evaluation to investigate how design could support the psychosocial wellbeing, agency and social engagement of people living with dementia.

Its principal Board Game-Based Learning output was This is Me (TIM), subsequently published commercially as All About Us.

Project development and implementation

1. 2016–2017 – Initial research: The consortium investigated everyday activities, social relationships, experiences of wellbeing and design needs through interviews, focus groups and visual diaries in Germany, the Netherlands and Spain.
2. 2017–2018 – Participatory design: Researchers, people living with dementia, carers and design professionals collaborated on possible interventions to support social engagement and personal autonomy.
3. Prototype development: The project developed This is Me as a physical life-storytelling board game based on reminiscence, mindfulness and reflection on the past, present and future.
4. User-centred refinement: Design decisions concerning visual accessibility, question wording, components and interaction were informed by users and care professionals.
5. 2018–2020 – Multinational evaluation: The game was tested through facilitated sessions in the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands.
6. 2020 – Project completion: MinD published its findings, participatory design tools, guidelines and research outputs.
7. 2021 – Scientific publication: The evaluation article appeared online in December 2021 and was published in volume 60 of the Journal of Aging Studies in 2022.
8. 2022 – Commercial exploitation: The game was launched by Relish under the name All About Us, enabling continued access beyond the European project’s funding period.

Multinational evaluation of This is Me

Niedderer and colleagues evaluated the physical board game through a multicentre qualitative study involving participants with dementia or mild cognitive impairment and their carers.

Study characteristics

• Countries: United Kingdom, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands.
• Participants: 50 people with mild-to-moderate dementia or mild cognitive impairment.
• Carers: The detailed methods report 17 formal and informal carers; the article’s abstract reports 19.
• Age range: Participants ranged from their forties to their nineties.
• Research design: Multicentre qualitative evaluation based on facilitated gameplay, observations and focus group discussions.
• Main evaluation dimensions: Game usability, enjoyment, emotional wellbeing, social engagement and sense of agency.
• Analysis: Thematic coding of participant comments, observations and interview material.
• Publication: Niedderer et al. (2022), Journal of Aging Studies, 60, Article 100995.

Implementation settings

The game was implemented under different conditions to examine its use across care environments.

• United Kingdom: Seven people with dementia participated in group activities recruited through an Alzheimer’s Society research partnership scheme.
• Germany: Twelve people with dementia participated through a psychiatric day clinic in Berlin.
• Spain: Fourteen participants with dementia and fourteen with mild cognitive impairment participated in memory clinic-related activities. Additional sessions involved care partners and carers.
• Netherlands: Three people with dementia completed the evaluation through activities in private homes or a community setting, accompanied by carers or care workers.

The different settings allowed the consortium to explore the game’s accessibility and social potential across several organisational and cultural contexts.

However, the researchers did not intend to make direct quantitative comparisons between the countries.

Session structure

Sessions generally combined:

1. An introduction and explanation of the activity.
2. Gameplay using the life-story board and question cards.
3. Open conversation and personal storytelling.
4. Participant feedback and researcher observation.
5. Additional debriefing where appropriate.

Gameplay usually lasted approximately 30 minutes in several of the documented sessions, although total session durations and the time devoted to playing varied between settings.

The researchers adapted procedures to participants’ needs, attention, comfort and the practical requirements of each care environment.

Evaluation instruments and procedures

The team developed a semi-structured questionnaire addressing seven areas, including physical appearance, handling, ease of use, enjoyment, feelings experienced, perceived impacts and potential future use.

Researchers observed participants during gameplay and recorded their comments and interactions.

Data collected in different countries were translated into English and analysed thematically.

The analysis distinguished comments concerning the prototype’s design from comments concerning participants’ experiences of emotional wellbeing, social engagement and agency.

Three researchers contributed to the coding process, with the coding framework discussed and refined to improve consistency.

Standardised wellbeing scales were considered, but they were not ultimately used because of practical constraints and the difficulty of completing them within the sessions.

Principal findings

The study reported generally favourable experiences associated with gameplay.

• Enjoyment: Participants frequently described the activity as pleasant, engaging and enjoyable.
• Social interaction: Open-ended questions encouraged conversation and the exchange of personal experiences.
• Interpersonal connection: Players reported learning about one another and appreciating opportunities to share stories.
• Personal identity: Life-storytelling enabled participants to express memories, interests, experiences and aspects of their identities.
• Agency: Flexible rules and voluntary participation allowed players to make decisions about what and how much to share.
• Present and future orientation: Questions encouraged discussion not only about past experiences but also about current life and future aspirations.
• Inclusive interaction: The non-competitive format created opportunities for reciprocal conversation between participants and carers.

Quantitative description of qualitative feedback

The thematic evaluation identified:

• 122 positive comments about the game experience.
• 13 critical comments expressing reservations or unfavourable experiences.
• 44 formative comments identifying possible improvements to the physical prototype.

The researchers described the balance between positive and critical comments as approximately 90% favourable.

Importantly, this percentage refers to coded evaluative comments rather than the proportion of participants who improved or a psychometric measure of wellbeing.

Accessibility findings

Participants and carers identified several design improvements:

• Increasing colour contrast between certain components.
• Improving the visual distinction between symbols and colours.
• Increasing the size or stability of some counters.
• Improving the physical quality and professional appearance of materials.
• Clarifying selected questions and instructions.
• Reducing unnecessary cognitive demands associated with handling components.

These findings provided formative evidence for improvements before commercial production.

Emotional and practical limitations

Although the majority of responses were favourable, some participants experienced difficulties or reservations.

Personal questions occasionally prompted sadness, frustration or uncomfortable memories. In some cases, recalling difficult experiences contributed to fatigue.

A few participants reported uncertainty, reduced confidence or doubts about the usefulness of the activity.

The researchers therefore acknowledged the importance of appropriate support, particularly when sensitive experiences arise.

They also noted that the game is not necessarily suitable for people with advanced dementia.

Differences between group and home settings

The study identified the social context as an important implementation factor.

Group activities in the United Kingdom, Spain and Germany generated opportunities to exchange experiences with other participants.

In the Netherlands, the game was used in smaller home-based settings.

Although those sessions were received positively, the three participants who retained the game for approximately two weeks did not independently replay it during that period.

This observation suggests that the game’s use may benefit from organised social activities, facilitation or the participation of different conversation partners.

However, the Dutch sample was too small to support general conclusions about home use.

Evaluation of Let’s Meet Up!

The project also developed Let’s Meet Up!, a hybrid electronic interface using tangible interactions to support the organisation of social activities.

An experiential prototype was assessed through public and patient involvement activities, including a United Kingdom group.

The project’s final reporting describes favourable initial feedback but identifies further development and evaluation as necessary.

No equivalent published multicountry evaluation of a completed commercial version has been verified.

Methodological limitations

• No randomised control group: The study was an exploratory qualitative evaluation rather than a controlled efficacy trial.
• No standardised outcome assessment: Changes in wellbeing, cognition or social functioning were not measured through validated pretest-posttest scales.
• Short-term observation: The research mainly examined participants’ experiences during and immediately after gameplay.
• Limited long-term evidence: Sustained use and lasting psychosocial benefits were not established.
• Heterogeneous settings: Different recruitment procedures and care environments complicate comparisons.
• Researcher involvement: Researchers participated in or facilitated sessions, which may have influenced interaction and participant feedback.
• Negative emotional responses: Reminiscence can generate distress or fatigue as well as positive experiences.
• Limited applicability to advanced dementia: The evaluated population primarily included people with mild-to-moderate difficulties.
• Commercial edition: The published evaluation examined the research prototype rather than a separate controlled assessment of the final Relish edition.
• Clinical efficacy: No evidence of dementia prevention, slowed progression or clinically significant cognitive improvement was established.

Overall evaluation status

MinD provides strong evidence of participatory development, multinational implementation and qualitative evaluation of an original physical board game.

The evaluation supports the conclusion that This is Me was generally usable, acceptable and associated with meaningful social interaction, personal storytelling and positive experiences among participants.

However, the study does not establish causal improvements in psychosocial wellbeing, cognition or long-term social participation.

The subsequent commercial publication of All About Us represents a significant achievement in maintaining access to the project output beyond its European funding period.

MinD produced a collection of research, educational and design resources intended to support the participation, wellbeing and social engagement of people living with dementia.

The principal Board Game-Based Learning output is This is Me, subsequently published as All About Us. The project also provides openly accessible methodological resources for participatory design and research with people living with dementia.

1. This is Me / All About Us – Official Project Resource

The official MinD website describes the original life-storytelling board game, its educational and psychosocial objectives, physical components and implementation.

It explains how the board, question cards and symbol-based die support discussion about memories, activities, relationships, experiences, achievements and dreams.

The resource also summarises the multinational evaluation and provides information about the game’s commercial publication.

This is Me / All About Us – Official MinD Project Resource

2. All About Us – Commercial Physical Board Game

Following the completion of MinD, the research team collaborated with Relish to publish the game commercially under the name All About Us.

The commercial edition is designed for approximately two to four players or small groups and includes a physical life-story board, question cards, counters and a symbol-based die.

The product information identifies accessibility features including large components, visual coding, flexible rules and a non-competitive approach to life-storytelling.

The published commercial specifications list 60 cards, while the original research prototype and MinD project description identify 66. These editions should therefore not be assumed to have identical components.

All About Us – Physical Board Game by Relish

Availability: The game is commercially available. A free printable package containing the complete board, question cards and rulebook has not been identified.

3. Scientific Evaluation of This is Me

Niedderer, K., et al. (2022). This is Me: Evaluation of a boardgame to promote social engagement, wellbeing and agency in people with dementia through mindful life-storytelling. Journal of Aging Studies, 60, 100995.

This peer-reviewed article provides the principal scientific evidence concerning the game’s implementation and user experience.

The publication includes:

• Theoretical foundations in mindfulness, reminiscence and life-storytelling.
• Description of the physical game and its components.
• Participatory design and prototype development.
• Multinational evaluation methodology.
• Participant characteristics and educational settings.
• Qualitative findings concerning enjoyment, social engagement and agency.
• Accessibility-related observations.
• Limitations and recommendations for further evaluation.
• The evaluation questionnaire used during the research.

This is Me – Scientific Evaluation, Journal of Aging Studies

This is Me – Open-Access Full Article (PDF)

4. MinD – Design Guidelines

The project developed guidelines for researchers, designers and professionals working with people living with dementia.

These recommendations address inclusive research, appropriate communication, respect for participant autonomy, co-production and the adaptation of design activities to individual capabilities.

The guidelines are relevant to educational board-game development because they provide a methodological framework for involving intended users directly in decisions about the design process.

MinD – Design Guidelines and Recommendations

Guidelines for Designing With and For People With Dementia (PDF)

5. Mindful Co-Design Toolkit

MinD published a practical toolkit describing how to organise inclusive co-design activities with people living with dementia.

It provides explanations of the design process, examples of participatory exercises and guidance for collaboration between researchers, designers and participants.

The toolkit is particularly relevant for developing accessible educational games and other playful learning materials.

Mindful Co-Design Toolkit – Official Resource Page

Mindful Co-Design for Dementia – Complete Toolkit (PDF)

The toolkit is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 licence.

6. MinD Visual Cards

The consortium developed illustrated cards to support interviews, discussions and participatory research with people living with dementia.

The cards represent daily living, leisure and social activities and were designed to serve as visual prompts and memory aids.

The project provides versions in English, Spanish, German and Dutch.

These cards are research and communication tools, not the question cards belonging to the commercial All About Us game.

MinD Visual Cards – Multilingual Downloadable Resources

7. MinD Visual Diaries

The visual diaries were developed to help participants document experiences, preferences, relationships and everyday challenges through writing, drawing, photographs and other creative activities.

They complement interviews by giving participants greater freedom to express their own priorities.

The official project website provides versions in several European languages.

MinD Visual Diaries – Participatory Research Materials

8. MinD Persona Toolkit

The Persona Toolkit supports designers and researchers in understanding the experiences, needs, preferences and aspirations of people living with dementia.

Its content draws on findings from the project’s participatory research.

The toolkit may support the early development of educational games by helping designers consider the characteristics and perspectives of intended participants.

MinD Persona Toolkit – Official Resource

9. Let’s Meet Up! – Hybrid Electronic Prototype

Let’s Meet Up! was developed as a complementary design concept intended to help people living with dementia maintain social relationships and arrange activities.

The prototype combines familiar tangible interaction with digital features.

The project reports an initial experiential evaluation but does not confirm the public availability of a completed product or replicable game kit.

Let’s Meet Up! – Hybrid Prototype Description

10. MinD Scientific Publications

The project maintains a research bibliography covering co-design, dementia care, inclusive design, wellbeing, participatory evaluation and the development of This is Me.

These publications provide additional methodological background for professionals interested in accessible playful learning and social engagement.

MinD – Scientific Publications and Research Outputs

11. European Commission – Project Reporting

The official CORDIS record documents the European funding, research objectives, development of design prototypes and user evaluation activities.

It identifies This is Me as a board game and Let’s Meet Up! as a complementary hybrid electronic design.

MinD – Official CORDIS Project Reporting

Resource accessibility and licensing

The MinD website, methodological toolkits, guidelines and scientific publications remain accessible.

The principal physical game is commercially distributed rather than provided as an unrestricted free print-and-play resource.

Open licences applying to selected research publications and co-design toolkits should not be assumed to authorise reproduction of the commercial game’s cards, board or artwork.

Replicability

The game’s educational approach is well documented, and copies of the commercial edition can be obtained for practical use.

The publicly available scientific paper provides additional information about its design and implementation.

However, independent reproduction or adaptation of the complete physical game would require appropriate rights or permission from the relevant rights holders.

MinD is a particularly valuable case for the European Board Game-Based Learning Observatory because it demonstrates how physical board games can support meaningful social participation and personal expression among people living with dementia.

Its main methodological contribution lies in the integration of participatory design, accessible physical components, life-storytelling, reminiscence and present-focused reflection into a non-competitive tabletop experience.

Unlike educational games primarily designed to transmit factual knowledge, This is Me / All About Us uses the social interactions generated during gameplay as a central part of the intended benefit.

Methodological strengths

1. Original physical game: This is Me is a completed, professionally published board game with clearly documented components and mechanics.
2. Participatory co-design: People living with dementia contributed to the design and evaluation process rather than being treated exclusively as end users.
3. Accessibility-oriented development: The board, cards, counters, symbols and instructions were designed to accommodate different cognitive, visual and motor capabilities.
4. Non-competitive mechanics: The absence of conventional scoring and victory conditions allows participants to focus on shared experiences instead of performance.
5. Equal participation: All players, including family members and carers, can answer questions and share their own experiences.
6. Meaningful social interaction: The questions provide a structure for conversations that may not otherwise arise naturally.
7. Personal identity: The game encourages participants to express their interests, memories, relationships, achievements and aspirations.
8. Past-present-future progression: The life-story board deliberately moves beyond reminiscence to include current experiences and future possibilities.
9. Flexible gameplay: Participants can adapt the rules, pace and degree of participation according to their preferences and abilities.
10. Positive design philosophy: The game emphasises participants’ existing capabilities, preferences and choices rather than exclusively focusing on cognitive limitations.
11. Multinational implementation: The evaluation involved participants in four countries and several types of social and care environments.
12. Scientific evaluation: A peer-reviewed qualitative study provides information about usability, social interaction, emotional experiences and agency.
13. Documentation of negative experiences: The research identifies emotional discomfort, fatigue and accessibility difficulties alongside positive experiences.
14. Commercial sustainability: The subsequent publication of All About Us provides continued access to the main physical game beyond the funding period.

Methodological limitations and considerations

1. Limited evidence of causal effectiveness: The evaluation did not include a randomised control group or validated pretest-posttest assessment of wellbeing.
2. Qualitative rather than clinical outcomes: Positive comments and observed social interactions do not demonstrate clinically significant improvements.
3. Uncertain long-term impact: The research does not establish whether occasional gameplay produces sustained changes in wellbeing or social participation.
4. Setting dependence: The results suggest that organised social activities may provide more consistent opportunities for engagement than independent home use.
5. Emotional sensitivity: Questions about personal experiences can evoke grief, frustration or uncomfortable memories.
6. Participation pressure: Even a non-competitive game may create an implicit expectation to speak or disclose personal information.
7. Variable support requirements: Some participants may need assistance with reading, understanding questions or managing physical components.
8. Restricted applicability: The game was principally developed and evaluated with people with mild-to-moderate dementia or mild cognitive impairment.
9. Potential fatigue: Long conversations or emotionally demanding topics may become tiring.
10. Prototype versus commercial edition: The components of the original evaluation prototype are not necessarily identical to those of the product currently sold.
11. Limited free reproducibility: The complete physical game is commercially available but is not provided as an openly licensed print-and-play kit.
12. Complementary hybrid prototype: Let’s Meet Up! was not documented as a completed publicly available physical game with equivalent evaluation evidence.

Connection with modern Board Game-Based Learning

MinD belongs to the category of custom-designed educational and psychosocial tabletop games.

The project’s approach differs from traditional educational games based on quizzes, competition or the acquisition of predefined factual knowledge.

In This is Me, the board, die and cards organise turn-taking and provide opportunities for participants to communicate with one another.

The primary educational and psychosocial value is therefore not located in winning, collecting points or mastering a rule system, but in the quality of the conversations and social relationships supported by gameplay.

This illustrates an important principle for Board Game-Based Learning: game mechanics can facilitate learning and wellbeing by creating conditions for meaningful interaction, even when the game does not use conventional competitive objectives.

Reminiscence versus personal agency

A distinctive aspect of This is Me is its progression from the past towards the present and future.

Many reminiscence activities focus primarily on recalling previously experienced events.

MinD broadens this approach by inviting participants to discuss current interests, personal choices and future aspirations.

This distinction is methodologically significant because the game’s objectives include not only remembering personal experiences but also recognising the participant as a person who continues to have preferences, desires and decision-making capacities.

The board’s life-stage structure therefore serves a more explicit pedagogical purpose than merely providing a sequence of spaces for movement.

Importance of accessible game design

MinD provides valuable evidence concerning the practical requirements of developing games with users experiencing cognitive and sensory difficulties.

The formative evaluation identified problems involving colour contrast, physical components, question wording and the perceived complexity of certain interactions.

These findings illustrate that accessibility cannot be ensured solely through the intentions of designers.

It requires direct testing with intended participants, opportunities for user feedback and iterative modification of the product.

The project’s co-design methodology is consequently as relevant to the Observatory as the final game itself.

Role of facilitation and participant autonomy

The evaluation suggests that gameplay can benefit from appropriate social and emotional support.

Facilitators may help participants understand the rules, maintain a comfortable pace and manage emotionally sensitive conversations.

However, excessive intervention could undermine the sense of equality and autonomy that the game aims to support.

For this reason, an important methodological consideration is the balance between providing assistance and preserving participants’ freedom to decide whether, when and how to contribute.

Game-based activities involving personal memories should allow participants to skip questions, change topics or stop playing without experiencing pressure or embarrassment.

Interpretation of educational outcomes

The scientific evaluation reported favourable experiences associated with emotional wellbeing, social engagement and agency.

However, the often-cited figure of approximately 90% favourable responses refers to coded participant comments, not to a psychometric outcome or the percentage of participants with measurable improvement.

For research purposes, this distinction is essential.

Future evaluations would benefit from combining qualitative interviews and observational analysis with validated measures of social interaction, wellbeing and perceived autonomy.

They should also examine the frequency of use, the influence of facilitation and whether benefits persist over time.

Commercial continuity and replicability

MinD is noteworthy because its principal board game was commercialised after completion of the European project.

The collaboration with Relish transformed a research prototype into a product that can be acquired by families, care organisations and educational professionals.

This provides a useful example of exploitation and sustainability beyond the funded period.

However, commercial continuity and open educational access represent different forms of sustainability.

The game can be purchased, but its complete components are not freely reproducible, and educators should not assume that the open licences applying to the research publications also cover the commercial product.

Implications for future BGBL research

• Consider social interaction and participant agency as potential primary outcomes of Board Game-Based Learning.
• Use non-competitive game mechanics when shared experiences are more important than individual performance.
• Integrate the intended educational purpose into the structure of the board and the progression of gameplay.
• Involve intended users directly in designing, testing and refining physical game components.
• Evaluate accessibility through observed interaction rather than relying exclusively on expert judgement.
• Provide flexible rules and meaningful opportunities for participant choice.
• Differentiate between reminiscence, social communication, emotional wellbeing and cognitive improvement.
• Ensure that personal questions can be skipped and that appropriate emotional support is available.
• Examine how family, group and institutional settings influence gameplay experiences.
• Measure the quality of social interaction through appropriate observational instruments.
• Combine qualitative user feedback with validated outcome measures when evaluating educational or psychosocial benefits.
• Investigate the long-term use and impact of educational games beyond the initial intervention.
• Distinguish prototype evaluation from validation of a subsequently commercialised edition.
• Plan for both product sustainability and accessibility of educational research materials.

Overall assessment

MinD provides a substantial example of original physical board-game development informed by participatory design and interdisciplinary research on dementia and psychosocial wellbeing.

Its strongest contributions are its accessible, non-competitive gameplay; meaningful integration of life-storytelling and social interaction; participation of intended users in the design process; and peer-reviewed multinational qualitative evaluation.

The project offers promising evidence regarding usability, acceptance and positive experiences during gameplay, but does not establish causal or long-term clinical benefits.

For the European BGBL Observatory, MinD is particularly valuable as a case study of inclusive tabletop game design, meaningful social learning, participant autonomy and the sustainable commercialisation of an educational game developed through European research.