Gamification

Is Gamification Really a Long Term Solution to Anything?

by
Designer 5 Is Gamification Really a Long Term Solution to Anything

When you look at how gamification has been used over the years, I personally have seen the greatest successes coming from short term “interventions”.

  • Use gamification to improve onboarding into a product
  • Use it to make a learning module, or course more interesting
  • Use it to learn a few words in another language
  • Use it to help build better excercise habits
  • Use it to build better medication routines

All of these have great success stories, but by their nature are short interventions being used to either reduce the barrier to entry, create short term engagement or help to build intrinsic habits.

I ask you this – who has become fluent in a language using Duo Lingo?

However, gamification experts (myself included) always talk about gamification being better used as a long term strategic change, rather than a quick win enabler? Read More ...

Emergent Gamification?

by
M3khtMxBdR0268xZfxzZ 5lr5d Emergent Gamification

The wonderful Pete Baikins recently reposted an article from Mashable on Linkedin that got my hekcles up a little. It was all about how gamification was the spark of modern era of AI.

The article argued that early itterations of error filled AI chatbots had given rise to “accidental gamification” where it had become fun and playful to find ways to get Chat GPT to get it wrong. Just to lean in to this – I asked Gemini to summarise the ariticle for you

This is an article about how gamification has influenced the development of artificial intelligence [AI]. It discusses the ways in which AI is being used in games and entertainment. People are creating games that challenge AI systems to perform tasks. These games can reveal both the strengths and weaknesses of AI. In turn, this helps researchers improve AI technology. The article also argues that the public’s playful engagement with AI is helping to shape its development. Read More ...

Behaviour Change: COM-B and the 4 Pillars of Change

by
Combchange Behaviour Change COM B and the 4 Pillars of Change

What follows is an example of how to combine my Four Pillars of Change with a proven behavioural change model – COM-B. We will be using bounce rate on a website’s homepage as the behaviour we wish to change. Companies often struggle with high bounce rates on their websites, indicating a disconnect between the website and its audience. However, with a little understanding of behaviour, we can start to sort this.

Understanding User Behaviour: The Key to Success

So, the first piece of the puzzle to creating an effective homepage is to understand user behaviour then design a user experience specific to what users want and need. Read More ...

Gamification: Is Loyalty Going Wrong?

by
JTP4lm03tJzbYcJvHOYV 907kf Gamification Is Loyalty Going Wrong

This article is interesting, as it shows consumer groups are converned about loyalty schemes in retail that use challenges to encourage more spending. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ceq33z0gxj4o

Consumer groups have raised concerns over new “challenges” introduced by major UK supermarkets, including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, and Morrisons, that reward shoppers with extra loyalty points for increased spending. These challenges, part of increasingly sophisticated loyalty card schemes, could potentially lead to overspending. While supermarkets claim these schemes offer better value and personalised savings, consumer group Which? and debt charity StepChange warn they could encourage people to spend beyond their means. The caution comes amidst rising food prices and the average person holding loyalty cards for three different supermarkets. Read More ...

Play in a “Serious” Environment

by
Snapinsta app 425806548 270623479239954 551568096629788433 n 1080 Play in a 8220 Serious 8221 Environment

Take the Ludic Spirit Player Type Quiz

Play is essential for development. There is a wealth of information about this especially for childhood development.

  1. Cognitive Development: Play contributes to the cognitive well-being of children and youth. It stimulates their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength¹.
  2. Physical Development: Active play is crucial for physical development and health. It helps children build strong bones and muscles, control their body, and maintain a healthy weight¹.
  3. Social and Emotional Development: Play is an opportunity to promote the social-emotional well-being of children and youth. It allows children to interact with the world around them, helping them to build new competencies that lead to enhanced confidence and the resiliency they will need to face future challenges².
  4. Language and Self-regulation Skills: Play with parents and peers is a singular opportunity to promote language and self-regulation skills that build executive function and a prosocial brain².

(1) The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and ….
(2) The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young ….

Serious Play

The issue is, that the word “Play” doesn’t tend to go down well in a “serious” environment – such as work.

I recently found myself feeling like I needed to justify my use of the word play when speaking with a client. I said something like “Once we have finished, you can go and play with this yourself” Read More ...