Evaluation of a Gamified Self-care Application for University Students using the Wheel of Sukr Framework

Abstract

Effective self-care practices are important for university students’ well-being.  However, many students struggle to sustain these practices due to low motivation with existing digital self-care tools. While gamification shows potential, its effectiveness is often limited by implementations that lack robust theoretical foundations or alignment with psychological and motivational theories.   This study aims to utilise gamification to encourage university students to practice self-care. The study evaluates two versions of a self-care application prototype: Version A (without gamification) and Version B (with gamification), utilising the Wheel of Sukr framework. A pilot study was conducted to refine experimental procedures, followed by a main experiment with 20 undergraduate students. Data collection included pre-test forms, the User Engagement Scale-Short Form (UES-SF), the System Usability Scale (SUS), and qualitative feedback. Wilcoxon Signed-Rank tests showed significant differences favouring Version B (Z = -2.354, p = 0.019) for user engagement metrics, including focused attention, aesthetic appeal, and reward factors. Qualitative feedback indicates that students found gamification elements such as points, badges, and weather-based recommendations engaging, though some noted the added complexity as a usability challenge. The average SUS score for Version B was 80.63, indicating high usability. The findings suggest that adapting the Wheel of Sukr framework may provide a structured design approach for integrating gamification into student self-care applications, enhancing engagement while maintaining usability. This approach offers practical implications for the design of future theory-driven digital health interventions.