Understanding Emotional Needs across Stroke Rehabilitation Phases for Affective Design

Abstract: Despite significant physical and psychological challenges, stroke patients often face overlooked emotional needs in rehabilitation. Such emotional needs can be satisfied by the innovative design of rehabilitation equipment, but the specific patient needs across recovery phases (acute, stable, and maintenance) remain unclear for targeted emotional design. This study aims to identify pain points and emotional needs in each recovery phase through observations and interviews with 31 participants and 60 hours of data. Acute-phase patients struggled with both communication challenges and psychological barriers from disability and identity shifts. Stable-phase patients experienced loneliness, self-blame, and boredom during intense therapy. Maintenance-phase patients, while physically improving, felt hospital fatigue, desired social interactions and entertainment, and worried about reintegration. Based on these findings, we also discuss emotional design implications and examples tailored for each stage.

Keywords: Emotional Needs, Stroke Rehabilitation Services, Graded Rehabilitation

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1004682

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