Monday, June 15, 2015

The DOs and DON’Ts of Gamification Design Thinking, Part 1




A World Explorer Gamification Design Strategy Session is for you if you are interested in designing a gamification strategy for either employee or customer engagement… BUT you’re not sure where to begin.

Just as if you were heading out the door into a great adventure, you have to make a plan to account for every possible detail. The World Explorer hands-on gamification design template explores the beauty, awe, marvels, and dangers of the seven levels of successful gamification.


You’ll learn how to plan for your journey and pack wisely to make every item count. This handy tool you are about to use is a genuine hidden treasure of useful information about what you should pack, and why, on your journey into the realm of gamification.

Two young explorers, Louis and Lindsey, are your guides on this adventure. As millennials, they are digital natives and feel quite comfortable with the use of apps, wearables, and websites to access information when and where they need it. They’ve heard of your interest in this strange new place called Gamification and want to take you there to show you the mysteries, the beauty, the awe and the DANGERS!

Go with Louis and Lindsey as they take you to:

Level 1: Urban Commander – Why are we playing?  Starting your gamification journey without knowing your overall business objectives will take you on a road to nowhere. Get agreement on what the real business objectives are. There are several ways you an approach your gamification strategy:  Compliance Approach— get players to do what you want or need them to do; Feedback Approach— encourage responses from players which might involve social networking to gain insight and gather feedback; Education Approach— help players to learn or understand processes or services you offer, how to make the best choices.

Level 2: Bonjour Mon Cher –Who are your players?  Who is the game for: the gluten intolerant, bourbon connoisseurs, or perhaps people who race bikes competitively? When defining your player, keep in mind age, gender, interests and skill levels. Get out, meet and interview some ‘real people’ to find out what they like and dislike, how they make their buying choices. Remember – a game’s primary function is to entertain the player, and it is your job to create a ‘game’ that does so.

Level 3: Jungle Standoff – How are you keeping score?  How will you know the gamification program you put in place is driving the behaviors you need in order to meet your business objectives? What are the KPIs or benchmarks you will use to measure progress? Be sure to focus on what really drives the business objectives at its most finite action. Remember that without measurement it’s impossible to tell what you’re doing well, what areas need improvement, and what you need to adjust or change.

In my next post we’ll continue onto Level 4: Saharan Crossing – How is the game played?

BUT, in the meantime – beware of the DANGERS you’ll encounter on your journey – the DOs and DON’Ts of Gamification Design Thinking

Gamification Design DOs:
  • Focus on the players. Ask… ‘What’s in it for them?’
  • Ask yourself, “Are my ‘players, going to enjoy playing this ‘game’?”
  • Define business metrics or quantifiable output indicators on the basis of achieving your business objective
  • Decide what numbers you must hit in order for your gamification program to be deemed successful
  • Track data to see if the numbers change and goals are met
Gamification Design DON’Ts:
  • Try to fix a broken product or service with gamification, and don’t forget to
  • Think of the player as your opponent—find ways to help them win
  • Assume your players want things a certain way—your way
  • Produce numerous and complicated reports and dashboards
  • Count behaviors that don’t matter – focus on those that drive business objectives
To view the Slideshare presentation of the World Explorer Playshop that we designed and facilitated for United Airlines, please follow this link:  http://bit.ly/WorldExplorerUnitedAirlines

For more information on how to conduct a World Explorer Gamification Design Strategy Session for your organization please contact us guru@sententiagames.com
 
For more ideas on Gamification:  http://www.sententiagames.com

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