Just a New Buzzword?
Gamification is the concept of applying game mechanics and design features to engage and motivate people to achieve a set of goals. Basic mechanics such as point scoring, competition and rules of play, aim to tap into the basic desires and needs of user impulses, which revolve around the idea of status and achievement. But gamification is so much more than that.
Often used to encourage engagement with a product, process or service, to many businesses, the thought of employees spending hours cultivating virtual fields and grafting to gain points to boost internal leader board positions is not something to celebrate.
According to Gartner Analysts however, more than 50% of organisations managing internal innovation processes hope to gamify those processes by 2015. Zynga, the minds behind Farmville have demonstrated just how easy it is to create a platform that successfully attracts millions of users on a daily basis. Of course Farmville is a social game, but it transforms a repetitive task into something that boosts user engagement, efficiency and satisfaction for even the simplest of chores.
Y it Matters
Gamification is a relatively new business concept but its roots have been integral to our society for hundreds (even thousands) of years. A gamified system, once it understands the motivations and goals of its users, can seek to evoke a user experience that keeps you coming back for more.
The recent success of gamification has been due, in part, to an increase in the percentage of the generation Y workforce. Often described as digital natives, generation Y are constantly connected to the Internet of things. This workforce has had access to video games all their lives and their culture is hugely driven by micro-rewards and achievement. As an example, even a simple task list has been converted to a micro-reward gamified system with HabitRPG.
Global brand Nike uses gamification in its Nike+ applications to encourage and reward users who maintain an active lifestyle. Popular e-learning platform Team Treehouse also use gamification in rewarding users once post lesson tests have been completed. Does it work? Yes it does!
I’m Interested, Where do I Start?
Implementing a gamified system can be a daunting prospect for anyone, whether its purpose is to attract new customers, track employee performance or drive a new product launch. It is therefore imperative to understand that it's not just about bolting some points, badges or leader boards (PBL) onto a business or sales process. It's also not about offering extrinsic rewards to motivate behavioural change, which more often than not, is short lived.
This spotlight series aims to shed light on the process through which a successful gamified system can be created. We will build upon the six-step gamification design framework (as outlined by Prof. Kevin Werbach) from defining our business objectives to outlining our activity loops. We’ll walk you through the steps of designing your system and we’ll have some fun along the way!
If this article interests you and you want to find out more, why not contact us? We are lucky enough to have specialists in gamification and user experience who would love to find out more about your business and ideas.
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