Diseño e implementación de una mascota virtual interactiva para fomentar la atención en entornos de aprendizaje virtual, aplicando principios de Interacción Humano-Computador

Abstract

The proliferation of digital learning environments has intensified the challenge of maintaining students' sustained attention in the face of an overabundance of distractions. This thesis addresses this issue through the design, development, and evaluation of an interactive system based on a gamified virtual companion. The main objective was to enhance the attention and motivation of university students. The methodology employed a mixed-methods experimental design, comparing an Experimental Group (EG), which used the full application, with a Control Group (CG), which used a version without the gamification and affective computing elements. Development was managed using the SCRUM agile framework and implemented in the Godot Engine. The evaluation was conducted using the d2 Test of Attention to measure sustained attention and the System Usability Scale (SUS) for usability, supplemented by log analysis and qualitative interviews.