Ten steps to designing more empathic, human and effective educational video games

Video games have come to be regarded as valuable educational resources. Through a combination of interactive environments and learning objectives, they have proven to be an effective tool in multiple fields, from school education to corporate training. However, their full adoption in formal education remains limited by a lack of curricular integration and clear strategies to incorporate them into educational programmes, a lack of specific teacher training and a shortage of technological and technical resources. There is, however, a barrier that often goes unnoticed: most games overlook the emotional and social dimensions of learning, which limits their ability to engage students.

With these challenges in mind, Raluca Ionela Maxim, a doctoral student in the Network and Information Technologies programme at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), has developed a new working approach: the Empathic Design Thinking Framework (EDTF). Under the coordination of Joan Arnedo, researcher in the Learning, Media and Entertainment Research Group (GAME) and a professor of the Faculty of Computer Science, Multimedia and Telecommunications, Maxim proposes a framework structured in 10 phases to guide the development of user-centred, emotionally engaging and pedagogically sound educational games, thereby translating empathic thinking principles into concrete actions and aligning the pedagogical, technical and emotional dimensions of game design.

"The idea is to support a transition from traditional educational models towards more useful and motivational experiences, such as games that truly connect with students," she said. "These games can help develop cognitive skills and make learning more meaningful by combining theory and practice in a fun and engaging way, where rewards and challenges fuel both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to learn and apply knowledge in real life."

Empathy at the heart of educational video game design

Empathy is a person's ability to understand the emotions and feelings of others and to put themselves in other people's shoes to experience the world from their point of view. Applied to educational video game design, empathy begins with understanding how players or students feel, think and act in order to make design decisions that feel natural and motivational to the player. This empathy is also woven into the narratives and storytelling, visual elements and interactions, which must reflect students' reality and emotions so that they truly connect with the experience.

"In the Empathic Design Thinking Framework, I wanted to go a step further. Empathic thinking is no longer just about observing users: it becomes a structured form of understanding the cognitive, emotional and motivational aspects of people," said Maxim, who is affiliated with the Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Social and Cultural Transformations (UOC-TRÀNSIC). "The EDTF helps teams move from designing based on assumptions to designing based on real human experience. It bridges the gap between psychology, neuroscience (how the learners’ brain works in terms of perception, memory, attention, emotions, motivation and self-determination) and design, thus turning empathy into a practical tool for creating meaningful, effective and human learning experiences," she added.

Ten steps to designing more effective educational games

The Empathic Design Thinking Framework (EDTF), which is published as an open access article in the journal Information, is not limited to asking what game should be developed; it focuses on how to make students feel, think and connect while learning by doing with meaning. This framework is structured in 10 phases that guide the development of user-centred, emotionally engaging and pedagogically sound educational games:

1. Empathize. The first phase aims to gain a deep understanding of users, such as students or teachers, and their real needs and motivations, through methods like context mapping reviews, in-depth interviews, observation and analysis of emotional and cognitive experiences.
2. Co-design scenarios. Designers, teachers and students collaborate to define the game's context, narrative and learner journey mapping with the goal of creating relevant and emotionally meaningful stories and situations.
3. Co-design instructional content. This third phase seeks to align the educational content with learning objectives and gameplay, with the aim of maintaining a coherent and motivational experience.
4. Evaluate the user experience. Before programming the game, the narrative and visual flow of the game are tested to identify potential confusing points or gaps in the player experience.
5. Create simple wireframes. Low-fidelity prototypes are designed to quickly test the core ideas of the game, thereby obtaining early feedback and detecting design problems before any significant investment is made.
6. Evaluate user experience iteratively. Repeated testing and design improvement cycles are carried out to optimize the experience and adjust interactions, interface and narrative based on the feedback received.
7. Create a high-fidelity prototype. This phase focuses on developing a near-final version of the game that is functional and visually complete, with the aim of validating its educational effectiveness, immersion and user satisfaction.
8. Develop. The game is fully produced, with content, mechanics and UI/UX interface elements integrated. As a result, a final product consistent with previous tests and learning objectives is obtained.
9. Evaluate and assess. After development, the educational and emotional impact of the game is evaluated in real-world contexts to measure whether the game improves students' knowledge, motivation and engagement.
10. Implement and maintain. The final phase consists of the implementation and maintenance of the game within the educational environment, thereby ensuring that the product is sustainable over time and is continuously improved.

"The Empathic Design Thinking Framework isn't limited to educational video games, although so far it's been validated in that area. It's a flexible, user-centred and data-driven approach that can be adapted to multiple fields. Because it focuses on empathizing with users, defining precise needs and patterns, and iteratively designing and testing solutions, it's highly transferable to other digital contexts, including healthcare, business automation and even AI-powered products," concluded Maxim.

This study aligns with the UOC research missions Education of the Future and Digital transition and sustainability, and supports UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, Quality Education.

Related paper

Maxim, R.I., & Arnedo-Moreno, J. (2025). EDTF: A User-Centered Approach to Digital Educational Games Design and Development. Information, 16(9), 794. https://doi.org/10.3390/info16090794

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