designing with gamification: tips for creating fun & engaging user experiences
Post on 13-Sep-2014
225 views
DESCRIPTION
Designing with Gamification: Tips for Creating Fun & Engaging User ExperiencesTRANSCRIPT
Designing with GamificationTips for creating fun and rewarding
user experiences
Your Mission (if you choose to accept):
• Level 1: Understand ‘Gamification’• Level 2: Know the Audience• Level 3: Think like a Game Designer• Level 4: Planning for Gamification• End-Goal: Apply Gamification into your own
User Experiences after achieving all 5 ranks:
Level 1: Understand ‘Gamification’
Your starting rank:Gamification Initiate
Gamification – What is it?
• Meaningful play– The use of game theory/game mechanics being
applied in a non-gaming context– Game ≠ Play
• Goals:– Create a sticky, viral and engaging experience– Inject fun into everyday mundane tasks– Drive specific user behaviors
Example: Hot lava game
Example: Star chart
Example: Rewards program
Example: Urinal Fly Sticker
Game ≠ Play
What is play?• Unstructured,
flexible, imaginative & freeform
• Driven by imagination• Goal =
What is a game?• Structured, rigid,
stimulating & focused
• Driven by rules• Goal =
fun WIN
Game ≠ Play
• Great games are built around a narrative the players/users interact with as they complete tasks, get rewarded, level up and have fun.
• A game is bounded, specific problem solving• A game has a predictable resolution,
whereas play may not.
Congratulations, you’ve successfully completed Level 1
Your rank has been upgraded to: Gamification Trainee
Level 2: Know the AudienceBegin your Gamification Training by
gathering intelligence about your target audience…
Bartle’s Player Types
AchieversAttaining status & completing preset goals quickly Engaged by: Achievements
ExplorersExploring and discovering the unknownEngaged by: Achieving their own goals
KillersWinning, rank & direct peer-to-peer competitionEngaged by: Leaderboards, Rankings
SocializersSocializing & developing a friends/contacts networkEngaged by: Newsfeeds, Friends Lists, Chat
Actions Based on Player Type
Achievers
Explorers
Killers
Socializers
Acting
Interacting
Play
ers
Gam
e Space
Things Guys Like in GamesMastery Doesn’t need meaning, just challenging Competition Love to prove we are the best Destruction We like destroying things – a lotSpatial Puzzles Especially puzzles navigating 3D spacesTrial and Error Men hate reading instructions!
Things Girls Like in GamesEmotion Exploring the richness of human emotionReal World Prefer games that connect meaningfullyNurturing Relationships & healing others (vs. winning)Dialog & Verbal Puzzles Love books & cross-word puzzlesLearning by Example Appreciate tutorials that lead step-by-step
50+
Age DemographicsPreschoolers Games with parental guidance
KidsAge of reason: read, make decisions & solve problems
Preteens/tweens Age of obsession: braingrowth and passion
Teens Boys: competition & mastery; Girls: real-world issues & communication
Young adults Firmly established tastes for entertainment & games
Adults starting families Casual gamers due to families; hardcore gamers very influential
Adults w/ children Casual gamers due to careerand families; seek family play
Adults w/ older children Empty nesters lots of time for games – enjoy social components
4-6
7-9
10-13
13-18
18-24
25-35
36-50
Level 2 training completed – Your target has been identified…
Congrats! You’ve been promoted to Gamification Analyst
FREE Coffee Power-Up!Every analyst needs an extra boost!
Earn a Starbucksgift card by being the first
audience member to correctlyyell out Bartle’s 4 player types
Level 3: Think like aGame Designer… Game Theory
Field assignment 1: Rendezvous with mLevel’s wise Agent “M” to uncover insider
secrets for creating successful games
Mental Abilities:Making Gameplay Possible
• Modeling – illusions create experiences that feel real• Focus – interesting enough to hold player’s
attention as long and as intensely as possible• Imagination – engage as a storytelling partner
and have a sense of the problems they will/won’t solve
• Empathy – imagining or projecting yourself in the shoes of the game character(s)
Human brainsare amazing!
Motivation: Hierarchy of Needs
Physical Needs
Safety
Belonging
Self-Esteem
Self-Actualization
Motivation: Hierarchy of Needs
Food, Water, Shelter, Warmth
Security, Stability, Freedom from Fear
Family, Community, Love
Achievement, Rank, Mastery, Recognition
InnerTalent,
Fulfillment
People areso needy…
Game PleasuresLeBlanc’s Taxonomy
SensationSight, sound & touch (game aesthetics)
Fantasy Imaginary worlds (something you cannot be)
NarrativeDramatic unfolding of a sequence of events
ChallengeCore pleasure of gameplay, problem solving
Fellowship Enjoying friendship, cooperation & community
Discovery Exploring game world, discovery of secret feature
Expression Build & share your own things (characters, levels)
Submission Leaving the real-world behind for a new, more enjoyable set of rules/meaning
Flow TheoryBalancing Challenges & Skills
Anxiety
BoredomLow
HighCh
alle
nges Flow
Channel
Low HighSkills
Game DesignThe 4 Basic Elements
MechanicsProcedures and rules
StorySequence of events that unfolds, may be linear or branching
Aesthetics How the game looks, sounds and feels
Technology Any high technology, materials and/or interactions that make the game possible
Aesthetics
Technology
Mechanics Story
More Visible
Less Visible
Game Mechanics
1) The Game Space2) Objects, Attributes & States3) Actions (What can players do?)4) Rules (Constraints & consequences)5) Define Skills Needed6) Chance & Surprise
Let’s learnmore aboutmechanics…
The Game SpaceDefines the various spaces that can exist in a game and how
those places are related to one another
Objects, Attributes & StatesObjects are anything that can be seen or manipulated in the
game space (characters, tokens, props, etc)
Objects, Attributes & StatesObjects are anything that can be seen or manipulated in the
game space (characters, tokens, props, etc)
Pac-ManPowerPellet
InkyPellets
Objects, Attributes & StatesObjects have Attributes such as the current position in the
game space, or other categories of information
Pac-ManMovesIs YellowEats ObjectsCan Die
PowerPelletStrategically PlacedWhite, Round & LargeEnables Power-Up
InkyMovesIs BlueKills Pac-ManCan Go to Cage
PelletsStatic Position, Fills the MazeWhite, Round & SmallIs Worth Points
Objects, Attributes & StatesEach Attribute’s current State can be static or dynamic,
as shown in the classic Pac-Man example above
Operative ActionsOperative Actions are the base actions that a player can
take in the game space (think VERBS)
Operative ActionsOperative Actions are the base actions that a player can
take in the game space (think VERBS)
Climb Up
Duck/Climb Down/Enter Warp Tube
MoveLeft
MoveRight
Jump/Swim Up
Dash/Throw
Resultant ActionsResultant Actions are strategic actions that use operative actions
(or a combination of them) to achieve a goal
Resultant ActionsResultant Actions are strategic actions that use operative actions
(or a combination of them) to achieve a goal
Jump +
Land on amushroom
= Kills it
Jump +
Hit brick
= Coins
Jump +
Hit ? Box
= Power up
Jump +
Land on Yoshi
= Ride
RulesDefines the space, objects, consequences & constraints of
actions, and the overall goals of the game
Concrete – players understand and can clearly state what they are supposed to achieve
Achievable – players must think they have a chance to achieve the goal (if it seems impossible, they’ll give up)
Rewarding – needs the right level of challenge, but also use of “Pleasures” to reward players by giving them something to make them feel good/proud
Define Skills NeededDefine the various types of skills (both real & virtual) within the
game needed to engage and interest your audience
Define Skills NeededDefine the various types of skills (both real & virtual) within the
game needed to engage and interest your audience
Physical • Strength• Dexterity• Coordination• Physical
Endurance
Mental• Memory• Observation• Puzzles• Problem
Solving
Social• Reading
Opponents• Teamwork• Leadership• Banter
Chance & SurpriseConsider interactions with other mechanics along with the
human element to create uncertainty & surprise
• Can’t always perfectly predict human behavior• People seek out options that create the most pleasure,
but also avoid the ones that cause the most pain• The human mind may inflate some
risks completely out of proportion• Everyone loves positive surprises
that add delight
Balance: Skill & ChanceA balance of skill and chance, along with various levels
of risk can create a great game dynamic
• Estimating chance is a skill• Estimating an opponent’s skill is a skill• Skills have a probability of success – every action has
some level of risk. Players must know when to play it safe and when to take a big risk.
• Predicting or controlling pure chance is an imagined skill – we seek patterns, but lucky streaks and gambler’s fallacy do not actually exist
You survived Level 3 field training – Now participate in a top-secret assignment that’s for
the birds…
Excellent work! You’ve earned the rank of Gamification Intelligence Officer
Congratson the
promotion!
Bonus Round!@_jeffgen_
Be the 20th person to retweet my Designing with Gamification tweet and
you’ll be enjoying a coffee on me!
Level 4: Planning for Gamification
Field assignment 2: Gather field intelligence to unlock the final keys to
decoding the gamification cipher!
Back to Gamification
Apply to Business NeedsHow can we take these psychological theories and mechanics and apply them into our businesses products, processes and services?
3 Basic StepsLet’s take a quick look at how to get started…
Step 1 Define Users & Goal
What’s your Goal?• Drive specific user behaviors• Create brand loyalty• Re-engineer daily processes to make
them more engaging and efficient. Note: Do not gamify within highly efficient business processes.
• Create sticky, viral and engaging experiences
• Inject fun into a mundane task to make it more manageable
• Create competition
Know your Audience• What are their needs/ what’s
holding them back?• What’s the primary playing style
(solo, competitive, cooperative)?• Who are they playing with?• What metrics do they care about?• Achievement of goals v.
enjoyment of experience• Structure and guidance v.
freedom to explore• Self-interest in actions v.
social interest in actions
Step 2 Use Mechanics that Work
There are typically 3 kinds of gamification worth pursuing in a business context:
ValidationCompletionPrizes & Rewards
ValidationA strong driver of long-term, quality engagement that forms
communities and allows users to share & express
CompletionGuide user progression and persuade them to make useful
contributions, enhancing the experience for themselves & others
Prizes & RewardsReward users with upgraded status, exclusive access, additional
power (budget/business decisions) and money, gifts or trips
Step 2 (cont’d) Tips for Success
• Provide a reason to play and way to feel progression and accomplishment.
• Make sure players understand the goal of the game and why they should play it.
• Let players set their own goals or suggest goals to help motivate mastery
• Use global goals that everyone can help work towards to inspire collaboration & teamwork
Step 3 Analyze the Data
• Performance and player behavior• Have analytics tools and goals in place
to gauge your progress• Pinpoint where users:– Drop out or lose interest– Have the most fun
• Use that data to optimize the experience by adding or removing features
• Important: Play test & iterate before launch!
Now you’re ready to apply gamification into your own
user experiences!
Congratulations! You’ve achieved the final rank of Gamification Field Agent.
Last Chance for a FREE Coffee!• Need 2 Volunteers to play a game.• Each will have 2 opportunities to answer a
question first earn 10 points for a correct answer
• If the player answers the question wrong, the other player will have the opportunity to answer and earn 5 points for the steal.
• Let’s Start!
P1-Q: Name one thing that Men like in games…
P2-Q: Name one item from the motivational ‘heirarchy of needs’ pyramid…
P1-Q: Name 3 of the 6 game mechanics that we reviewed in detail…
A: Mastery, competition, destruction, spatial puzzles, trial & error
A: Physical, Safety, Belonging, Self-Esteem, Self-Actualization
A: Game Space, Objects/Attributes/States, Actions, Rules, Skills, Chance
A: Validation, Completion, Prizes/Rewards
P2-Q: Name the 3 Game Mechanics that work best in a business context…
About MeJeff Steffgen
User Experience & Design Director @ mLevel (game-based learning app & platform)
Follow me on twitter: @_jeffgen_
Q1: Name one thing that Men like in games.
Q2: Name one item from the motivational ‘heirarchy of needs’ pyramid.
Q3: Name 3 of the 6 game mechanics that we reviewed in detail.
A: Mastery, competition, destruction, spatial puzzles, trial & error
A: Physical, Safety, Belonging, Self-Esteem, Self-Actualization
A: Game Space, Objects/Attributes/States, Actions, Rules, Skills, Chance
A: Validation, Completion, Prizes/Rewards
Q4: Name the 3 Game Mechanics that work best in a business context