Abstract
“Portal for sharing teaching experience in the inclusion of diversity” corresponds to axis 4.2. of the project Skills for the Next Generation of the University of Porto by supporting the development of innovative and inclusive pedagogical resources, sharing information, experience about inclusivity and ludic tools to cope with the individual differences integrated with the university's information system. This project is intended to contribute to the achievement of the inclusive priorities defined at the European level through a web platform capable of deliverable informative content and gamified resources (serious and critical games) to give adequate support for the university academy, not only to cope with the difference but to take advantage of it, dealing with human differences and specificities as an asset to the community, unlike shortcomings.

Abstract

Abstract
Despite the prevailing paradigm of user-friendliness and enjoyment in mainstream game design and user interface design, intentional friction in game user interfaces that can be used to create meaningful experiences and to encourage reflection in players. This work aims to explore such use of intentional friction, providing designers with a valuable resource to generate unconventional game interfaces. As a starting point, we previously identified six strategies for intentional friction: (1) exploit memory shortcomings; (2) faulty feedback; (3) mismatched mental models; (4) impairment of ability; (5) deliberate inefficiency; and (6) oppressive constraints. Afterwards, to help operationalise these strategies and identify others, we ran co-creation workshops with game and UI designers, which lead to the development of a tool composed of three decks of cards, combining additional friction strategies, intentions, emotions, and ideation triggers, and enabling designers to create expressive game interfaces that intentionally incorporate friction as a design strategy. The Friction Firestarter toolkit is intended to inspire designers to explore various options and think creatively about friction in UI design. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.

Abstract
Within the context applied to Virtual Reality research, the present work focuses on a literature review within the emerging field of Transformative Experience Design: a domain in interaction design that aims to create experiences fostering self-actualization and self-transcendence and which relates directly to the ideas of the sublime or awe. The methodological Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA) Statement was used to conduct the current review. The scientific multidisciplinary databases used for the search were SCOPUS and Web of Science. The initial search resulted in the collection of a total of 448 articles from the two aforementioned databases, of which 408 were included after the English language criterion had been applied. After eliminating duplicate studies, 304 articles remained. Here, the initial screening phase was based on reading the respective abstracts and titles, and from this excluding noticeably irrelevant studies based on the inclusion/exclusion criteria, resulting in a total of 71 articles. Of these, and after the full-text reading, 49 papers were considered eligible for inclusion in this research context.The work focuses on studies that have adopted a strongly empirical, phenomenological and qualitative approach to the creation and evaluation of transformative experiences in VR, with the purpose of finding out not only how these are being created, but also which are the main factors that enable a transformative dimension in this type of experiences. Indeed, VR seems to be explored through it´s particular phenomenological affordances as a means to advance the two fundamental dimensions of Transformative Experience Design: perceptual vastness, on one hand, and need for accommodation, on the other.Concerning the first dimension of perceptual vastness in VR experiences, different properties stood out. Firstly, the typology of the perceptual stimuli used was found to be mainly concealed between the representation of natural scenarios, and, most importantly, Earth´s view from outer space. It was also noted that environments that present an almost exaggeratedly extensive structure and where greater horizontality prevails are those that, according to this data, appear to have the best chance of fostering awe. Rather more interestingly, it has been revealed that the design of spaces and paths that present a dynamic and dramatic structure is where the sensations of awe are most prevalent, based, above all, on a feeling of surprise.On the other hand, the more epistemic dimension of need for accommodation appears to be based upon the exploration of paradoxical, supernatural, uncanny elements, mainly founded on the violation of the laws of reality and that beg for the accommodation within our current mental schemata. Truly, VR design allows for a complete inversion of these laws, and the use of fantastic and unreal elements thus finds fertile soil to then develop an experience that is deeply transformative.These results are then systematized and discussed, and further possibilities are then suggested within this context.