motivation

Gamification Tutorial Series – Episode 1 and 2

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Cropped gamification Gamification Tutorial Series 8211 Episode 1 and 2

The beginning of June sees not only sunshine, but also a new series of short tutorial / information videos that a few people have asked me to do.

The first video is just a very short introduction to gamification. In it I talk a little about what it is and what it isn’t.

The second video takes a look at motivation and introduces RAMP as a concept.

Future videos will include a deeper look at motivation, the extrinsic vs intrinsic argument, user types, leaderboards, feedback loops, mechanics and more. Read More ...

More on Gamification and Careers

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Flow User Jounrney Motivation More on Gamification and Careers

Extrinsic Rewards and the User Journey

A couple of small bits this week whilst I pull together more substantial work (I’m not a machine!!) First a small revisit of my Flow and User Journey work. In various conversations I have had about the use of rewards in a gamified systems the general question is always “do you need rewards at all”. My answer is that it can’t hurt if it is done properly.  One thing that occurred is that during the on-boarding phase and into the habit forming phase of a user journey, rewards can play a key part.Charles Duhigg presents the idea that habits are formed when three key things are put together. Cue, Routine and Reward. Read More ...

Motivation, let’s get real for a moment.

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Maslows Hierarchy of Needs svg Motivation let 8217 s get real for a moment

Dan Pink and Ryan & Deci are quoted a lot when we talk about motivation – I include myself in that and this is good – they have a lot of research to back up everything they say.

The basic quote usually revolves around. Money is not a good motivator. Mastery, Purpose, Autonomy and in some quoted cases Relatedness are what we need. They are intrinsic motivators, money is not.

True.

There are a few things most fail to mention. One is the fact that this is most true for creative tasks.  The other, much more significant bit they don’t mention is this. When basic needs, such as money, are no longer a concern – what’s left is intrinsic motivation. Read More ...

User Types in Gamification – Part 2: Players and Balance

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User Types Intrinsic User Types in Gamification 8211 Part 2 Players and Balance

This is here for interest only now – User Types 2.0 is where it is a now!!

Last week I started to explore my ideas about the different types of users there are likely to be in a gamified system. I have had loads of feedback, mostly very positive. Thanks for that. One question that keeps coming up is “what about the Player user type”? “There must be more too it!”. The answer is, of course, yes. There is a lot more.

What I explored last week was really just the intrinsically motivated types of users. Those doing things for purely self related reasons. Helping others, because it makes them feel good. Learning because they want to and enjoy the experience. Creating content that they feel will add to the greater meaning of a system. Read More ...

Gamification a Little on Leaderboards

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Leaderboarded Gamification a Little on Leaderboards

Leaderboards are an effective way to show a user quickly where they currently stand within a gamified system. A fun example is the Gamification Gurus leaderboard from the company Leaderboarded. Each month they release an update that shows  who has been active in the gamification world that month.  It is a great example of a leaderboard being used in isolation – without all of the points and badges that are often associated with simple gamification.

Many blogs and websites these days make use of a comment system called Disqus to manage their comments.  It has a few plug-ins that you can easily add to your site if you are using it for comments. One is a Top Commenter’s box. If you look at my blog, you should see it in the side bar. It shows people, at a glance, who is posting the most comments on your pages. Read More ...