How do you define the goals and outcomes of your gamification project?

Gamification doesn’t fix a bad core experience. Gamification is the art of adding more feedback loops on the path of an experience so the participant get cues to figure out what they are doing right or wrong. So instead of giving a long list of objectives, you provide signals. It’s especially good for sustained experiences and loosely set objectives in the context of a non-game experience. Adding a scoreboard is not gamification. Adding badges is not gamification. Just like adding wings to your arms doesn’t make you a bird.

The success of your gamification initiative can be dramatically increased with one foundational understanding: Gamification is not about adding a game to your current experience. Rather, the most useful framing when beginning your design work is to view your current experience itself as your "game" – one that already involves some level of interaction and engagement – and then to view gamification as the approach to make that “game” more compelling and attention-worthy. Your core experience provides the default set of interactions for your users; gamification’s role is to enable a new engagement layer on top of that experience that elevates it, enhances it and focuses it.

To create player types and personas that resonate with your audience, it is vital to make them specific and realistic, complete with names, pictures, stories, and other relevant details. This level of detail will make your player types and personas more relatable and memorable, enhancing their impact on your gamification design. But, it's not just about creating player types and personas; they must be actionable and useful, informing your gamification design decisions. So, ensure that you develop player types and personas that can be translated into practical game design elements, such as challenges, rewards, and progress tracking.

In my experience, defining the goals and outcomes of a gamification project is crucial for success. It is important to consider the learning objectives of the curriculum and the motivational factors that drive student engagement. In ESL education,(which is part of my expertise) gamification can enhance motivation and engagement. Game mechanics like points, badges, and leaderboards foster competition and encourage active participation. Instant feedback can help students stay on track and make progress. Goals and outcomes should align with learning objectives and leverage rewards, competition, and social interaction.

Use both qualitative and quantitative data analysis to uncover hidden patterns and connections that may not be obvious from traditional metrics. This could involve examining user behavior logs or analyzing collaboration patterns. Implement root cause analysis frameworks such as the "5 Whys" or the "Fishbone Diagram" to dig deep into the root causes of problems. Conduct thorough interviews and workshops with stakeholders to understand their perspectives and challenges.

Any optimisation for a specific metric tends to render that metric useless. Best is to start with a general KPI for the overall experience, and think of specific objectives as steps toward that goal. Any gamification lever made specifically for one part of the experience will feel gimmicky or will bend your metric to the optimization parameter, not the phenomenon originally measured.

A partir do problema identificado, poderemos buscar as solu??es de forma gamificada, definindo com clareza nossos objetivos e metas mensuráveis. Precisamos ter métricas claras e passíveis de medi??o para o nosso projeto e para ir validando e iterando as fases que estamos desenvolvendo. O que n?o precisamos é ter métricas e medi??o de toda e qualquer a??o do usuário, caindo na vala de termos pontua??o para tudo e ranking, isso n?o é gamifica??o, isso é apenas feedback. Gamifica??o é utilizar alguns elementos de feedback que sejam ligadas aos objetivos que definimos anteriormente.

Discover what motivates your audience, like curiosity or a sense of purpose. Make sure your gamification goals match these motivators for meaningful engagement. Look beyond just your goals and think about how your game can impact society or the environment. This could mean promoting sustainability or encouraging collaboration for a greater purpose. Instead of focusing on increasing numbers, focus on empowering users to develop skills.

Sem meta ou objetivo qualquer lugar serve, ja diz o ditado. Com isso, estabele?a qual objetivo vocês precisa cumprir. Dentro da área comercial por exemplos os problemas mais comuns estao relacionados a baixa eficiência que impactam no resultado, pontos que você pode estabelecer como objetivo e gamificar: - Melhorar a taxa de conversar do Lead para Reuni?o. - Melhorar Taxa de reuni?o pra oportunidade. - Melhorar taxa de oportunidade pra venda. - Reduzir Ciclo de venda - Aumentar ticket médio E por ai vai, percebam que trouxe objetivos que resolvem problemas do negocio, e a partir disso você pode criar campanhas gamificadas para engajar seu time a atingir esses objetivos.

In my experience, when using SMART technology, it’s essential to select the right metrics that truly reflect the objectives of the gamification project. Focusing on vanity metrics (like the number of participants) rather than meaningful outcomes (such as engagement or behavioral changes) can lead to misleading interpretations of success.

Gamification is a process that involves taking into consideration the user in terms of behaviors, cognitives, and the overall environment in which the gamification will be applied. The ultimate goal of gamification is to change people's behavior by creating a valuable game experience (Huotari & Hamari, 2017). Hence, it is crucial to understand where to apply, how to apply, and what kind of gamification to apply to facilitate users' behavioral change. During the process, gamification experts could understand users better through analyzing their psychological journey, and the reasons behind it, then utilize the information to further the process.

I believe that this is a step to be taken right at the beginning- understanding the audience in the context of the goal before proceeding further.

Use IATs to uncover hidden biases and preferences in gamification. This can provide a deeper insight into user needs compared to traditional surveys or interviews. Incorporate behavioral economics principles to analyze user behavior, including framing, loss aversion, and social influence.

A cria??o de uma persona é sempre bem vinda para um projeto que tem impacto nas pessoas. Acredito que para uma Gamifica??o a gente precise ir mais fundo, usar mapa da empatia, tipos de jogadores, motivadores humanos (Reiss, Apello ou Yu-Kai Chou) e analisar os comportamentos. Partimos dos objetivos para identificar quais modelos utilizaremos para coletarmos esses dados dos nossos usuários. Um aspecto muito relevante é identificar os comportamentos atuais e os que esperamos gerar na gamifica??o, pode ser incentivar algum ou inibir, também. Exemplo: construí um projeto de reconhecimento aos professores corporativos, para tanto busquei identificar propósitos com o F4P, os tipos de jogadores e o Moving Motivators para a analisar os usuários.

O engajamento da sua a??o gamificada esta diretamente relacionado a entender o perfil do seu publico. N?o se trata apenas de rodar campanhas, mas entender quais delas engajam mais ou menos, quais os motivos que v?o mover seu colaborador(no caso corporativo) a executar isso e investir naquilo que realmente vai aumentar a eficiência.

Incorporate exploration and learning elements into the game, motivating users to actively search for information, solve problems, and unlock new content. This promotes a sense of curiosity, skill development, and inner drive.

Uso o Ciclo de Atividades para nomear esse processo. Quais s?o as a??es que eu quero que meu público fa?a durantes as fases da gamifica??o? Quantas s?o as fases e quais motivadores tenho que impulsionar em cada uma delas. O framework Octalysis tem um mapeamento muito interessante por fases do Discovery ao End Game, que nos ajuda a construir os elementos e mecanicas focadas nesses marcos. Podemos construir um ciclo linear, identificando os marcos e incluindo mecanicas conforme o que precisamos ativar nos usuários, para que se motivem e engajem no projeto até o final.

Antes de simplesmente sair fazendo acoes sem um planejamento prévio é importante desenhar a jornada do usuário, desde a introdu??o ao sistema até a conquista dos objetivos, para garantir uma progress?o lógica e satisfatória. Deixar claro qual é a jornada que ele precisará seguir tornara muito mais fluido o caminho dele e fara com que ele possa engajar no curto prazo. Certifique-se de que a miss?o esteja clara, qual caminho pra seguir e principalmente o que ele pode ganhar la no final.

Creating game mechanics for gamification means integrating elements like points, badges, and leaderboards to boost engagement. From my experience, the crucial part is aligning these elements with project goals and user needs. For an online course, adding quizzes and progress bars can notably increase motivation. Essential to this process is a game design document that outlines how each mechanic will drive motivation, engagement, and guide users. This approach ensures gamification not only engages users but also achieves project objectives, enhancing both user satisfaction and project success.

When it comes to designing gamified systems, I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that it's all about adding "fun" elements to an otherwise mundane task. While adding game-like elements can certainly make a task more engaging, it's important to remember that the purpose of gamification is not just to make things more fun, but also to motivate and empower users to achieve their goals. In reality, the most effective gamified systems are tailored to the specific needs and motivations of the user group. This requires a deep understanding of the target audience and what drives them, as well as a willingness to iterate and refine the game design based on user feedback and data.

Para que sua a??o gamificada seja efetiva, desenvolva as regras, desafios, recompensas e feedbacks do jogo, alinhando-os com os objetivos definidos para engajar os usuários de maneira efetiva. Ele precisa saber pra onde vai e quais ferramentas tem pra atingir esse objetivo, mecanica precisa estar clara para que ele se motive a sair do ponto A para o ponto B.

Se você chegou até aqui fazendo muito bem os passos anteriores, tudo ficará mais claro e a mágica emergirá. Objetivo definido, público analisado e ciclo de atividades projetado, agora vem a melhor parte, o "game" da Gamifica??o. Deixe um pouco de lado o que você gosta de jogos e intera??es e foque nos usuários e objetivos deles e do projeto. Pense em uma gamifica??o se vai ser lúdica ou n?o, com storytelling ou tarefas sequenciais, se parecerá com um jogo ou será implícita. Defina quais mecanicas s?o imprescindíveis para criar a mágica do engajamento nos usuários (parece mágica, mas é design focado no ser humano, bem feito), quais limitadores das a??es e intera??es e os feedbacks imediatos que acontecer?o na jornada.

When it comes to testing and iterating gamification projects, I think one of the most common mistakes that developers make is not collecting enough user feedback or not using the right metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of the game design. This can lead to gamification projects that are not as engaging or effective as they could be, and that don't truly meet the needs and motivations of the target audience. Another mistake that developers often make is not iterating on the game design quickly enough. It's important to be willing to make changes and adjustments based on user feedback and data, and to be open to pivoting the game design if it's not meeting the desired outcomes.

Comece pequeno e vá testando. Utilizar alguns princípios do ágil podem ajudar muito na prototipa??o, testes e itera??es da sua gamifica??o. Todas as atividades podem e devem ser testadas, em separado, conforme o possível de prototipar ou até mesmo na baixa fidelidade de um rascunho de projeto e testes de dinamicas e fio condutor. Antes de testar defina quais elementos e hipóteses gostaria de validar e, esteja aberto para considerar outras quest?es que ir?o emergir dos testadores. Quanto antes testar, antes poderá colher as percep??es a ajustes necessários, quanto mais desenvolvido o projeto para ser testado, menores as possibilidades de altera??es ou maiores os custos de ajustes. Bota pra jogo e rápido.