MAGAZINE GAMIFICATION TECHNIQUE(FULL)

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JULY 2020

6 Techniques How
to Effectively Gamification
Gamify a increase Use
Mobile App of Healthcare
>> 5 Apps?
>> 24
7 Examples Of
Gamification In How To Use
The Classroom Gamification
>> 31 To Build And
Motivate Your
6 Gamification Remote Team
strategy tips >> 43
for your
business
>> 54

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MMAASSTTHHEEAADD

EDITOR
KU CHING NGO
ARIYA A/P EVEIN
CANYQEN LOUSIP
JOY LIM SIEW YEE
JHUNNECILLE ANAK JOHN
DESIGNER DIRECTOR

JOY LIM SIEW YEE
ARIYA A/P EVEIN

EXECUTIVE EDITORS

JHUNNECILLE ANAK JOHN

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

CANYQEN LOUSIP

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MOBILE APPLICATION

6 Techniques to Effectively
Gamify a Mobile App

by ARIYA A/P EVEIN

Before you set out to implement
gamification techniques, make
sure you’ve got the following
addressed:

No amount of gamification centiv- 1. Set objectives. Just like when you
izing users with points or collect-
ibles can motivate a user to do market your app, set objectives and
something they do not want to. It goals before you begin. What do you
only works when they are already a part of hope to achieve by implementing these
the ecosystem and are engaged with your techniques? Do you want your retention
mobile app.Gamification will not work on dis- levels or engagement to increase or do you
engaged users and won’t bring them back want to build a viral loop? Don’t integrate
to your app if they’re not using it already. gamification just because it’s a tactic
used by other apps and games. The suc-
The incentive strategy can be used in many cessful ones have a well thought-out plan
different ways, but one of the most com- and a compelling reason to build it in.
mon is badges or reward points and lea-
derboards. If you were to integrate just 2. Add value. With your gamification
these dynamics into your mobile app with-
out setting an objective or understanding technique, people should feel like they’ve
how it connects with the user, gamification accomplished something special or
will not work, no matter how hard you try. difficult, they outdid themselves or others
or they learned something really awesome.
Gamification is more about human
psychology than it is about technology or 3. Ingrained in the ecosystem. Rewards

methodology. In fact, many feel gamification and leaderboards don’t work for all types
is best linked to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: of apps. With your objectives in mind, you
physiological, security or safety, love and must figure out what suits your app best.
Build techniques that are well ingrained
belonging, esteem and self-actualization. in the ecosystem of your app to keep a
seamless experience.Depending on the
type of app and current user behavior,
gamify those parts that allows for user
acquisition,engagement,behavior modifica-
tion and management, commerce or loyalty.

MOBILE APPLICATION 5

4. Keep it simple. I’ve seen many apps

that had a good core offering, but the mo-
ment theymstarted to gamify, the experience
became too complicated. Gamification can be
overwhelming for the developer with many
parts to handle at the backend, but don’t
make it difficult for your users. After all, these
are your most engaged users already, you
don’t want to put a fork in their experience
going forward.Rather, you want to make
it really simple for them to engage further
with your gamification techniques. Provided
that you are already maintaining some user
score, you can gradually unlock features
based on the score or level. This approach
allows you to keep the first experience sim-
ple and gradually add more value later on.

6. Quick rewards. It’s natural to assume
5. Build sharing loops. Gamifying alone won’t that a big reward at the end of the complete

help much unless your users get to flaunt their experience will drive users to be engaged.
achievements. And in turn, that flaunting will However, the truth is that users are en-
help in customer acquisition for your app as well. gaged far more if you break that one big re-
So by all means, build loops into your imple- ward into smaller bits that are doled out more
mentation that enables your users to share their frequently at certain milestones. This will
achievements on their social-media networks. give your users a sense of achievement,

making them more likely to stay engaged

“Gamification is essentially integrating game like environment to non-gaming applications.
And getting the gamification right will keep your users highly engaged and satisfied, and even
referring your app to friends”

MOBILE APPLICATION 6

MOBILE APPLICATION

Gamification in Mobile
Apps

by ARIYA A/P EVEIN

We live in an era where people Gamified elements help to trigger a sense of
expect from you to go ‘the achievement and thus motivates users to use
extra mile’ when their expe- your app even more. Creating such gaming
rience is concerned. No one experience within a non-game app will instant-
is happy and satisfied anymore with a good ly make more pleasure for your users. You
and stable mobile app and that’s where don’t need to rebuild your app, you can just
gamification entered the stage. offer some fun experience to your consum-
ers and thus improve the interaction, attract
Gamification involves applying game more users or increase acquisition of your app.
dynamics from games to the mobile
application at the same time encouraging There are different elements that can influ-
users to return to the app. Gamifying your ence the way how people interact with a mo-
mobile app can result in increased traf- bile app like rewards, quizzes, badges, virtual
fic and users’ engagement with the prod- goods, leaderboards, and progress displays.
uct if done properly the whole process is All those elements help to create a unique
based on principles of simple psychology. experience for mobile users and encourage
them to come back and try the app again.
A user must become familiar with the app Moreover, a plus with gamification is that people
itself prior to any engagement in the app’s tend to spread the word about ‘a great app I’ve
gamification only then the user can get en- tried’ which is an extremely valuable add-on.
thusiastic about the incentives your app
has to offer (collectibles and/or points). 6 GAMIFICATION ELEMENTS FOR
MOBILE APPS
Gamification can relate to Maslow’s
hierarchy of needs where essential 1. REWARDS

place goes to self-actualization, esteem,
love, belonging, etc. Gamification pro-
cess follows the psychological principles
because it deals with the engagement of the
user’s mind.

This is a great way to retain users — whenever
we do something, we like to receive some kind
of reward in return (material or not). The fact also
applies to the mobile app users where people are
more motivated if the app offers a prize for com-
pleting a certain type of task. One example of
this is Habitica — a gamified task manager which
help you to turn your daily routine tasks into a fun
game while helping you to organize your duties.
They also offer rewards if you complete a level.

MOBILE APPLICATION 7

2. QUIZZES 4. BADGES

If this would suit your app description, hosting No matter how old we are, receiving a
a quiz would be a perfect match for your users. medal, a trophy or a badge of honor is a great
A survey from a few years ago revealed that moment for us. This is called recognition and
quizzes are shared at least 1900 times! It would that is an additional motivation for us to take
be a smart method to increase interaction with on the next challenge. If done right, badges
your app users, under the condition that it meets are a powerful gamification tool to engage the
the requirements of your app. If nothing else, users. One of the examples is an app Kobo
the users would try to answer the questions — it offers their users these types of rewards
out of fun. Use this asset for your advantage. plus you have the ability to connect with oth-
er people with the same reading preferences.
3. VIRTUAL GOODS
5. LEADERBOARDS
Virtual goods resemble rewards but with lon-
ger-term value. For example, you can earn People are competitive souls and being
points on a certain mobile app which you can able to see their name on the list of winners
later on use for making a real purchase. Vir- gives us wind to the back encourage a per-
tual goods are often used as a part of loyalty son even more to continue. This is great for
programs like with airline flyer miles which you sports apps like Nike + Move where the app
can later use for payment of flights or specific tracks people’s moves turning it into Nike Fuel
upgrades etc. An example that is interesting is and upon finished session, a leader-board is
Pocket Points — a mobile app that rewards stu- added which improves the entire experience.
dents for NOT using their phones in the class- Higher the score, the greater the motivation.
room. Afterward, the students can redeem their
points in the local stores or online retailers. 6. PROGRESS DISPLAY

Progress display is very important to peo-
ple when they struggle to achieve their goal.
Whether it is losing weight or learning a new
language, progress display is an excellent way
to retain users and support them throughout
their way. A great example is Duolingo — it
has a set of gaming interactions that allow us-
ers to track their progress and practice their
linguistic skills. In the past, users could always
see their progress and it would help and mo-
tivate them to do more. Nowadays, it is re-
placed by Coach element, but the core is sim-
ilar although people preferred a clean, simple
progress bar. Another example is Monitor Your
Weight app which was awarded several times.

MOBILE APPLICATION 8

“With today’s growing popularity of mobile games, more and more companies are
borrowing the game elements and integrating them into their non-game products”

HOW TO DO IT EFFECTIVELY?

1.SET GOALS 3.CREATE VALUE 5.SOCIAL SHARE

— you need to define — the whole point of adding — the easiest way for people
from the start what do you game-like elements is to con- to talk to their friends about
want to achieve with your vince the users that your app your app, provide them with
improvements. Set up a plan is just what they need for their an easy way to do it — through
and decide which elements purposes. Think about efficient sharing on social networks.
are the best to enhance the rewards or interesting features Don’t forget to integrate plat-
experience. that suit your app purpose and forms like Facebook, Twit-
that can make your users en- ter etc. into your game. It is
2.IDENTIFY TARGET gage with your app even more. one of the best strategies for
USERS increasing your user base.
4.SIMPLE AND REAL
— you need to identify the 6.MONITOR USER
target audience, their age, — don’t transform your app FEED BACK
interests, and behavior. An- entirely, just add efficient im-
alyze the same as the data provements so to increase —regular checking on user re-
can play a huge role when their interest. Make sure to add views and feedback is a valu-
defining how your strate- only tangible achievements like able insight. Update and op-
gy should be developed. badges, discounts, rewards, etc. timize your gamified strategy
that are real to your users. And based on these inputs and try
always remember, keep it SIM- to add features which will make
PLE so not to confuse people users feel more competent.
with complex structures which
would have a counter effect.

MOBILE APPLICATION 9

MOBILE APPLICATION

5 Excellent Techniques for
Mobile App
Gamification

by ARIYA A/P EVEIN

It is not necessary to tell again how Top Mobile App Gamification
much impact mobile app develop- Techniques
ment has on business these days.
As more and more mobile apps ap- It doesn’t matter what your company’s
pear on the Google Store and App mar- focus is since gamification in the mobile
ket, it becomes more difficult to engage, app has lots of advantages for all busi-
retain and convert mobile users. That is nesses. For example, Samsung part-
where gamification in the mobile app en- nered with SwagSoft to an enterprise
ters the stage.Keep reading to explore app for training floor salesmen. Thanks
what mobile gamification is and what to the applied gamification techniques,
techniques can be used to implement they managed to get rid of the expen-
gamification in any type of a mobile app. sive and ineffective business processes
and increase employee engagement.
What Mobile App
Gamification Is

Gamification involves using game dy-
namics to stimulate users to use the
application and enhance user expe-
rience with an app. Mobile app gam-
ification invites users either to reach
their own goals or start competing with
others. Such experience is built upon
the insights from psychology and un-
conscious responses. This way, com-
panies that use gamification in mobile
apps have higher chances to get more
traffic and boost ecommerce sales.

MOBILE APPLICATION 10

Here are the 5 prizes to users for purchasing through an
gamification techniques app, spending time in the app, or taking
you can use to improve part in the competitions.Remember, the
user experience and reward must be valuable for users. Avoid
increase leads acquisition: giving senseless badges or empty points
as they may cause users’ disappointment
1. Self-Expression instead of enhancing engagement. In-
stead, consider in-app currency that may be
People have a great desire for spent on purchasing some goods. See how
self-expression, and you can satisfy this Starbucks used gamification techniques to
human necessity by introducing some increase retention and sales for more ideas.
winning ideas. Let users use creative icons,
names and skins to express their individual 4. Achievement
personality in your app. Providing digital gifts
that can be shared to social media is anoth- Do not let users work too hard for a reward;
er awesome strategy not just to retain users istead, trigger an action on minor users’
but also to encourage social interactions. It will achievements. If you have seen unicorns
strengthen relationships between people, and flying across your screen when you finish
pull the person into your app to redeem the gift. the task in Asana, you must already know
how great it feels. This type of mobile app
2. Competition gamification is very important, especially
when the person has just begun to use the
It is not enough for some people to be app. Pairing UX with social media is going to
recognized, they are eager to win. You can produce even better results, as sharing their
satisfy this need by awarding points for achievements with friends, users act as pro-
certain achievements and adding them to moters of your brand and attract more users.
the leaderboards. Scores motivate people
to play or otherwise engage with an app, 5. Status
earn points and win. Supporting a spirit of
competitiveness will help you satisfy the Everybody likes to demonstrate their
user’s desire to challenge themselves and win. status. Ratings or levels in the digital world
are identical to the ranks people have
3. Rewards in real life. Earned statuses should be
highlighted as they enhance user
People are more enthusiastic about doing engagements and offer additional
something when they are sure that their opportunities for monetization. For
efforts will not be neglected. You can give instance, LinkedIn users get “All Star”
status when providing information for all
sections in the profile, including
recommendations, etc. Think of how you can
use this gamification dynamic in your app.

MOBILE APPLICATION 11

MOBILE APPLICATION

7 of the Best Examples of App
Gamification

by ARIYA A/P EVEIN

Gamification is a powerful tool Takeaway: Recognition is the best mo-
to acquire, engage, and re-
tain users. In fact, Gigya tivator. Social sharing creates a healthy
found that gamification boosts competition with friends and coworkers
engagement by one third, with online com- that inspires users to complete their tasks
menting rising by 13%, social media shar- (increasing their use of the app), while
ing by 22%, and content discovery by 68%. also creating awareness for the brand.

But you don’t have to be a gaming app to 2. Goibibo-Gamification for
apply game tactics. Fitness apps have Travel
turned boring jogs into a race against
zombie hordes. Productivity apps pit Goibibo has gamified their app to
us against the clock to get us to fin- capitalize on the current trend: Indian
ish our to-do lists. And financial apps Premier League. The app introduced
have even made paying bills fun. goCashFest, where users can earn
GoCash when time the Mumbai Indi-
With millions of apps available to users, ans play. By using the app while the
building an app that sticks needs more team plays, users win GoCash for each
than just a great product. It needs a great 4s, 6s, 50, 100, wickets and wins during
user experience. Even simple rewards like the match. This goCash is valid until the
discount codes or digital badges can be ef- next Mumbai Indians match and can
fective motivators for users to complete a be used to make bookings on Goibibo.
task, make a purchase, or share your app.

To find inspiration for your gamifica-
tion strategy, learn what tactics suc-
cessful apps are using to hook users.

1.Todoist - Gamification for Takeaway: Aim for a win-win. The pop-
Productity Management
ularity of IPL, in tandem with the summer
Todoist is a productivity app that helps us-
ers track everything from major work proj- holidays, has ensured that this strategy is
ects to simple household chores. The app
uses gamification to prompt users to com- beneficial to both Goibibo and its users.
plete their tasks by rewarding them with
karma points for every task they finish — Users are spending the goCash they win
and negative karma for missing a deadline.
on bookings for their summer holidays.

MOBILE APPLICATION 12

3. Byju’s -Gamification for Takeaway: Consider every lev-
Education
el of user ability. By starting with sim-
The days of rote memorization to pass a ple goals, Fitocracy keeps badges and
test are gone. Now, educators focus on achievements within reach for users of
cognitive learning techniques that keep all fitness levels. And by rewarding users
students engaged. With Byju’s educa- each time they unlock an achievement
tional app, students master key concepts or win a badge, their progress becomes
through videos, practice tests, and adaptive visible. In-app quests and competitions
modules. Byju’s uses gamification by with friends are another great way to
allowing students to play games, earn re- gain new users and keep them engaged
ward points, and challenge each other
through different quizzes and competi-
tions. Competing with each other moti-
vates students to work for better results.
This sort of gamification results in a win-win
situation for the app as well as its users.

Takeaway: Apply gamification data to 5. Smarty Pig-Gamification
for Personal Finance
improve the user experience. Tests and
quizzes allow the app to measure student SmartyPig is a gamified productivity
performance and evaluate how well they app designed to help users reach their
understood the concepts in each mod- financial goals. If a user wants to buy a
ule. This data helps the app’s develop- new car, for example, SmartyPig will act
ment team design more effective modules. as a piggy bank. Users can set a savings
goal and then automatically add money
4. Fitocracy - Gamification from their bank account to that specific
for Health & Fitness goal in the SmartyPig App. The progress
bar spikes as users add to their savings.
Let’s be honest, we all need a little
motivation to get out of a warm bed Takeaway: Gamification should be fun!
and show up at the gym every morning.
Fitocracy is a fitness app that uses Budgeting can feel like a chore, so there
gamification to motivate users to achieve has to be a sense of fun and achievement
their fitness goals. It accesses user health — especially when just starting out and
data to create customized workouts and the goal seems out of reach. When us-
nutrition plans, then rewards users with ers create a new goal, the SmartyPig app
points and badges for meeting achieve- displays a progress bar that shows users
ments. It also pits users against oth- that regular savings, however small, really
er fitness enthusiasts to keep them mo- do make financial goals more attainable.
tivated and slay the laziness dragon.
MOBILE APPLICATION 13

6. Woot -Gamification for 7. Starbucks -Gamification
E-commerce for Loyalty Programs

Woot is a retail app that offers a limit- The Starbucks app features a loyalty system
ed quantity of products at a special sale that rewards users with stars for each order
price per day. Since only a few of each placed, which can then be redeemed for free
product are available, users race through food and drinks.
product pages and checkout before it’s
out of stock. Then they eagerly await the
next product to be unveiled at midnight.

Takeaway: Gamification can help build key Takeaway: With a rewards or loyalty

user habits. By building a sense of curiosity, program, apps can boost retention by

unpredictability, and scarcity, Woot gets users incentivizing users to come back to the

to make a daily habit out of checking Woot at app to redeem the points or discounts

midnight to snag a great deal they earned from previous orders.

“Applying game principles to event apps is an effective (and what is also important – proven) way
to keep users engaged. Despite 88% of event attendees saying that access to meeting or event
schedules in an event app is extremely important, it’s not enough to make users really active”

MOBILE APPLICATION 14



HEALTHCARE

Does Gammification

Works For

Healthcare Training?

BY CANYQEN LOUSIP

Gamification is IMPLEMENTING
GAMMAFICATION IN
being used in a HEALTHCARE

number of corporate Gamification has been used, and is
being used, by a number of health-
organizations these care organizations to train their
employees. A number of health-
days to train and develop care organizations are hesitant
to implement gamification in their
skills and knowledge in their workplace because healthcare is
a serious industry that deals with
employees. Gamification saving people’s lives. However,
healthcare is also used in safety
started off as a digital learning training for a number of industries,
which is another serious subject. If
trend but soon made it known you’re still not convinced and are
looking for reasons why gamifica-
that it was an effective learning tion works for healthcare training,
this article is written to put exactly
technique that helped learners such doubts to rest. Let’s have a
look at 4 reasons why gamifica-
absorb and retain knowledge tion works for healthcare training.

while keeping them engaged.

Although gamification works for

a number of product and ser-

vice-based industries, does it

work for healthcare training?

The answer to that is yes!

HEALTHCARE 16

“A number of healthcare
organizations are hesitant to implement
gamification in their workplace because

healthcare is a serious industry that
deals with saving people’s lives. This
article will put such doubts to rest.”

HEALTHCARE 17

1. CONNECTS WITH LEARNERS ON AN Healthcare organizations can create gamified
EMOTIONAL LEVEL courses that simulate the real life of a healthcare
A lot of stakeholders in healthcare organiza- professional. For example, where they get pro-
tions are under the impression that gamifica- moted to upper levels of a healthcare organization
tion would trivialize the learning employees re- as they complete exercises and learn more and
ceive from digital learning programs. Nothing more. Level progress in gamification also allows
could be further from the truth. Those who have theconcernedauthoritiestotracklearnerprogress.
played video games would understand the emo-
tional connection games build with the player. In addition, gamification also offers immediate
feedback to learners unlike other digital learn-
2. USES FAILURE AS A LEARNING TOOLS ing methods which allow learners to understand
Failure is perhaps the greatest of all learning how they’ve performed, and retake the course
tools. Failure helps learners understand what to fix their mistakes. Healthcare is a slow-mov-
they’re not supposed to do. But, in order for ing and cautious industry, and thus its hesita-
learners to understand that failure is in fact the tion to embrace relatively newer digital learn-
greatest of all learning tools, they need to learn ing strategies and methods like gamification
not to be afraid of failure. They should view fail- can be understood. However, after reading the
ure as a milestone to success while also un- above-mentioned points it is evident that gam-
derstanding that failure has consequences. ification offers a number of real benefits to the
healthcare industry, and can really revolutionize
Gamification provides learners with a virtual world healthcare training. Healthcare organizations
where they can make mistakes without fearing that have already understood this use gami-
consequences that would be devastating in real fied digital learning courses to engage employ-
life in the healthcare organization. For example, ees, train them and improve their performance.
surgeons could be trained to perform surgeries
without the fear of killing the patient if they make
a mistake. In addition, sometimes a mistake can
teach learners more than a successful operation.

3. TURNS BORING LEARNING INTO ENGAG-
ING ACTIVITIES
The power of gamification lies in its ability to
engage learners. A lot of healthcare training is
boring and calls for memorization of hundreds
of symptoms, diseases, treatments, prescrip-
tions, procedures, and whatnot. Gamification
simplifies these by turning them into an en-
gaging experience and removing the boredom
learners would otherwise feel while memorizing
these. Gamified digital learning courses offer in-
trinsic motivation to people because they don’t
feel like training, but at the same time they are.

4. TRACKS PROGRESS AND OFFERS IMME-
DIATE FEEDBACK
One of the engaging features of gamification is
level progress. It gives learners the impression
that they are moving forward.

HEALTHCARE 18

HEALTHCARE

IMPROVING HEALTHCARE
BY GAMIFYING IT

BY CANYQEN LOUSIP

Physicians often struggle to help Other industries have long used game
patients change their health elements that leverage behavioural science to
behaviours. Patients may know drive desired customer behaviour (think airline
that they need to quit smoking, lose loyalty programs that award points and status
weight, or exercise more, but summoning the for miles travelled). And indeed, gamification
will to change is hard. It’s particularly difficult is increasingly being incorporated into health
for the highest-risk patients who may have insurance design and wellness programs.
life circumstances — challenges such as However, despite its growing use, there’s
unemployment or homelessness — that make only limited evidence of its effectiveness
it harder for them to focus on the long-term. in health care, and in particular whether
But combining behavioural economics and existing gamification makes the best use of
“gamification” — putting game elements such behavioural economic principles. Members of
as points and achievement levels into non- our group recently evaluated 50 of the most
game contexts — holds promise for driving popular smartphone applications for health
behaviour change when a doctor’s advice, and fitness and found that while nearly two-
and patient’s good intentions, are not enough. thirds of the apps used game elements in
their design, none incorporated several key
insights from behavioural economics that

HEALTHCARE 19

could effectively influence desired actions and and ask to them to strive for it immediately.
address predictable barriers to behaviour. However, this is probably overly ambitious for
many and not sufficiently ambitious for others.
A central challenge for all health-related
gamification programs is engaging participation, We have found that it is more effective
particularly among high-risk patients. Several for programs to establish a baseline for each
design elements commonly found within individual and then engage him or her in
gamified health and wellness programs could personalized goal-setting, with goals that
be made more engaging by incorporating gradually become more demanding and that
behavioural insights. For example, most adapt to ongoing performance. For example, in
programs invite patients to join, framing their a randomized trial of patients with heart disease,
choice as an opt-in decision. But we have found we combined financial incentives of $2 per day for
that opt-out framing significantly improves each day step goals were met with personalized
participation. In a randomized trial, our group goal-setting in a program that used wearable
tested how to engage adults with uncontrolled devices to measure activity. Half the patients
diabetes in a remote-monitoring program. In the were assigned to use the device’s preset 10,000
traditional, opt-in approach, only 13% signed step per day goal that began immediately.
up. But when the introductory letter framed
the program as standard care, but allowed The other half established a personal
patients to opt out if they wished, enrolment baseline step count which increased for the
rates nearly tripled to 38%. We’ve found similar first two months and then remained steady
results when testing ways to engage patients in for four months. During the 6-month trial, the
a medication adherence program after a heart patients who had been assigned the preset
attack. Another common feature of gamification goal had no overall change in activity. But those
program is goal-setting. The traditional with personalized step goals increased their
approach is to assign everyone the same goal activity significantly, walking about 100 miles
(for example, taking 10,000 steps per day) more than the patients in the control group.

HEALTHCARE 20

They even remained more active than the otherwise, everyone lost points. This design
control group for two months after the incentives encourages collaboration, accountability,
stopped. In another test of gamification, we and peer support. It also leverages the
partnered with the Framingham Heart Study, principle of “anticipated regret” — fear of
which has followed the health of generations falling short of a goal and letting others down.
of families but never previously participated in
an intervention study. Two hundred participants During the three-month study, family members
over 18 years old enrolled with their families in the gamification program walked on average
and used either a smartphone or wearable nearly a mile farther each day (1,661 steps)
device to track their physical activity as than they had at baseline — about 1,000
measured by how many steps they took each steps more each day than people in the
day. We established a baseline activity level control group. What’s more, while their activity
for each person, and then each selected an dropped somewhat after the game ended, they
increased step-count goal to shoot for. Families continued to walk more than members of the
in the control arm received daily feedback on control group. We’ve tested a similar approach
how they were doing relative to their goal, but for weight loss and found that groups lose more
no other interventions. The plan undertaken weight when the team members live together,
by families in the gamification program, further demonstrating how social incentives
on the other hand, incorporated several can be harnessed for behaviour change.
behavioural economic and game principles.
Gamification is already being used widely
First, they signed a pre-commitment pledge in to encourage healthy behaviours. However,
which they agreed to try their best to achieve many current designs cater to “super users”
their goal — a simple technique that’s known who already like games and are motivated
to help people stick with goals. Each time they to improve their fitness. These programs
signed onto the platform they would be shown are unlikely to engage people at higher risk
the contract and be reminded of their pledge. who could benefit most from changing their
behaviour. Our group is using gamification
Second, they received points that were to help patients with uncontrolled diabetes,
allocated up front which they stood to lose if heart disease, and cancer. We have found
they failed to achieve their goal. This element that incorporating principles from behavioural
harnesses the concept of loss-aversion — economics is not hard or expensive, but instead
people’s tendency to be more motivated to requires attention to detail. Subtle changes to
avoid losing something they already have program design and communications can have
than to gain an equivalent new benefit. an outsized impact on how patients behave.
That’s why embedding behavioural insights
Third, since we know people in these types into gamification could represent a significant
of programs can occasionally fall off the opportunity to improve health and wellbeing.
wagon, we replenished participants’ points
each week to give families fresh start, which
leverages the tendency to be more motivated
to pursue a goal when the prompt or decision
is anchored at a “landmark” time, such as
the beginning of the week. (New Year’s
resolutions are another example of this effect.)

Finally, we incorporated social incentives.
Each day one member of a family was
selected at random to represent the entire
family. If that person achieved his or her
goal, all family members kept their points;

HEALTHCARE 21

HEALTHCARE

HOW HEALTHCARE
GAMIFICATION MARKET
WILL SHAPE HAVING
BIGGIES WITH STRONG
FUNDAMENTALS?

BY CANYQEN LOUSIP
HEALTHCARE 22

Gamification includes applying the period, at $5,577.6 million in 2018. Due to the
techniques used in game, mechani- various benefits offered by the employer the
cs of game, and game style in non- employees are the participation in gamification
-gaming applications to engage the events has grown considerably in the recent
audience and make the dull task into more fun years. Depending on the region the market is
and engaging. Basically, it is an application of segmented into Asia-Pacific, North America,
elements in video games, which helps to solve Europe and LAMEA. Asia Pacific accounted for
the everyday problem and enables the user to the highest market share of 32.0% in 2018. Asia
change the behavior, develop skills and enable pacific is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 11.0%
innovation in health care. The goal of the ga- by generating a revenue of $14,184.5 million
mification is to change the behavior of the pa- by 2026. Due to the rise in the population and
tient. The increase in the wearables and health lesser medical facilities is expected to drive
& wellness app with gamification is the strong the market for this region. Key competitors in
sign that the people are liking it. The increase the market are Mango Health, JawBone, Nike,
in the usage of digitalization and the technology Hubbub Health, EveryMove, Akili Interactive
adoption are expected to drive the healthcare labs, Bunchball, Microsoft, Ayogo Health,
gamification market. Many companies are using and Fitbit among others. Mango health have
the digital platform for the people to check their developed a new gaming application which
health data. For instance, Pokémon go helped rewards patients with points every time they set
the players to increase the step count of the
user, consciously or unconsciously which helps HEALTHCARE 23
in making them fit without knowing them. By the
use of such application, it provides offers and
rewards to keep self-motivated and keep a che-
ck on their health. So, digitalization and adop-
tion of such technologies is predicted to upsurge
the market.Improper use of these games and
training programs is considered to be the biggest
restrains for market. These gamifications are
programmed in such a way that it can help to
attain the objective. But these gamifications are
used only for fun purpose and once the desire
is being fulfilled then they lose interest on these
devices and applications which can hamper
the growth of the market in the forecast year.
Casual game is held the largest market share
of 42% in the type segment. Causal game
is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 10.2 by
generating a revenue of $17,541.5 million by
2026. Casual games are usually built to monitor
the user’s behaviour and provide necessary
therapy. Prevention accounted for the highest
growth rate in the application segment. Rise
in the fitness enthusiast with the availability of
several app and devices is expected to drive the
market for prevention. Prevention application
was $4,231.3 million in 2018 and is anticipated
to generate a revenue of $11,584.0 million by
2026. Depending on the end use the market is
segmented into consumer based and enterprise
based. Enterprise based accounted for the
highest growth rate of 15.7% over the forecast

HEALTHCARE

How Gamification Increase Use
of Healthcare Apps?

BY CANYQEN LOUSIP

TWhat Is Gamification?
his is a theory related to game mechanics
just like in the world of non-entertainment
or video games where the changes are
made according to the needs of the
target audience. With the help of the story, one
will be able to work upon transparency, rewards,
liveliness, challenges, and also bring in the law of
participation which will keep the users engaged all
the time.

So, ultimately, it will enhance User
experience and exclusively make interaction a lot
more fun which can bring the changes quite quickly
and effectively. This is the reason why the demand
for Healthcare Apps developers is growing quite
significantly you can help them with an infusion of
a gamification Theory so that they can make the
most out of it.

In fact, according to the study, it has been
stated that the market of gamification is certainly
going to rise to around 12 billion US dollars in the
year 2021. So, it shows how effective it is going to
be and why Healthcare application development is
investing in this process quite convincingly.

How It Is Making an Impact?

There are applications and mobile games
which show a lot of potentials to get themselves
connected to masses in the industry of the global
healthcare market. If you are thinking why you
must also consider using gamification then, we will
help you understand how it is making an impact
in the world of advanced healthcare systems
and enhancing user engagement in the best way
possible. Below mentioned on the core features
which gamification brings into play in the Healthcare
sector, take a look:

HEALTHCARE 24

HEALTHCARE 25

Digital Engagement

With the help of gamification techniques, it will
certainly catch a lot of attention from users all
around the world. It will allow them to engage
digitally and exclusively change their minds from
the diseases they are suffering from. There are a
number of doctors and medical practitioners who
are always favoring the gamification process be-
cause it helps the patient deal with depression
and various other problems in the most convinc-
ing manner. This is the reason why Health App
developers must consider to infuse gamification
while moving ahead with the development pro-
cess.

Game Mechanics Experience Designs

As gamification has a lot of components in its With the help of gamification, the use of Health-
world, it will help users to avail more out of care applications has also got boosted because
Healthcare applications. The components like it allows one to track the journey without any
reward points, badges, leaderboards, will cer- kind of hassle at all. Yes, whether it is about
tainly motivate users and use the maximum time booking an appointment or playing a game or
so that they can remain engaged to it and exclu- add something useful, you can track your work
sively divert attention from any kind of disease or done without any kind of difficulty at all. This will
disorder they are having. So, this shows how big help you in your future as well as you will not
the role of Healthcare application development have to go through your almirahs or cupboards
with gamification plays to make it easy for users to find the documents related to your health be-
to pass through this tough phase. cause you can get it with the help of the respec-
tive Healthcare application development.

HEALTHCARE 26

Boost Confidence Health Information

The prime objective of the gamifica- With the help of gamification, users get the field
tion process has always been to help of competitiveness with which, they are more
users achieve their objectives of get- focused while playing any kind of game. This
ting themselves treated with any kind will boost the activity of your brain as it learns
of problems they are having. This is a wide range of things with the go. So, follow-
the reason why the Healthcare sector ing this approach will certainly enhance your
is always looking for mobile app de- learning capacity and easy for you to understand
velopment services with which dick all concepts with ease. This is the reason why
and infused is theory and makes it Healthcare sectors are literally investing in the
easier for the users to get past this dif- world of gamification as it helps them have their
ficult situation with lots of confidence. health application development in the best pos-
This will help them get rid of all kinds sible way which can bring out the best of results.
of stress or depression they are hav-
ing and make it easy for them to en- Wrapping Up
hance their health.
With the help of gamification, you might have got
an understanding of how it has helped the users
around the world with excellent recovery solu-
tions. So, it’s a great advantage to have in the
respective Healthcare application and there is no
reason why you must invest in this theory while
working upon the medicine delivery app devel-
opment process. This will give out the best of re-
sults which will keep your users engaged in your
application all the time and exclusively make it
easy to grab the most of attention.

HEALTHCARE 27

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EDUCATION

Using gamification to
improve schoolwide

behavior

By KU CHING NGO

Gaming has evolved into a cultural
medium with its own processes that many
students find engaging and motivating,
so using similar approaches to improve
behavior and school environments with
gamification is a natural extension that

can prove popular and successful.

Gamifying PBIS

Educators can encourage The application of gaming techniques to
behavioral PBIS works well because games are so
engaging, and many are built to provide
improvements and positive intrinsic motivation. They often develop
classrooms with gamification autonomy, meaning and competence,
and so are aligned with
Now that online games become so self-determination theory. They also
popular among K-12 students, provide zones of proximal development,
school and district administrators enabling players to make continued
can use gamification techniques to progress, and many games enable young
create a positive school climate and encourage people to build
positive behavior by individual students who social relationships through their
have differing needs. participation.

Shawn Young, co-founder and CEO of As shown in RTI’s well-known
Classcraft, explained during a recented triangle diagram, about 80 percent of
Webinar how gamification techniques can be students are considered Tier I, roughly 15
combined with research-based approaches percent require Tier II interventions, and
such as Response to Intervention (RTI), to only about 5 percent need more intensive
create engaging and systematic Positive Tier III interventions. In the PBIS model
Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS). that Shawn presented, the Tier I students
would be focused on activities that
Shawn pointed out that esports the playing of prevent negative behavior, while the Tier
online games,have become one of the most II students would engage in more
popular activities for young people across targeted prevention activities, and the
all demographic and social segments of the Tier III students would receive more
school-age population. targeted interventions and wrap-around
support.

EDUCATION 29

Focusing on bullying as an example of the Shawn emphasized that the number of
behavior that educators are trying to positive expectations should be limited in the
prevent, Shawn explained that the goal for three to five range, for example, rather than 50
Tier I would be to create a cultural norm so that students can remember them and not
in which bullying cannot thrive, essentially feel overwhelmed or tune out.
making it “uncool” through game techniques
that build empathy, inclusion, and other And the expectations must be explicitly taught,
pro-social behaviors. along with specific examples showing when
and how behaviors should occur, because “it’s
Tier II students would be taught anger not enough to just put up a poster on a wall.”
management techniques and engage in
additional activities designed to develop There also should be specific procedures and
positive behavior, and Tier III interventions to address negative behaviors or
students would receive more intensive problems, with the understanding that students
education and supervision, along with will make mistakes and it’s OK to fail and learn
special challenges to succeed. from what was done wrong, which is some-
thing games are designed to accommodate.
The gamification techniques used to
implement this model could include points Last, there needs to be a clear communication
and privileges awarded for positive system to identify students who are not in
behaviors, the use of scoreboards so that compliance, and to help them understand the
students can track their or their teams’ expectations and requirements.
achievement and progress in comparison to
others’, and the creation of levels and Parents and families should also be aware of
titles to manifest status. what is being done and included when
possible so the entire school community is
Negative behaviors would not be punished, engaged in improving behavior and creating a
but instead would result in a lack of positive
progress or loss of position, combined with environment, with the result that everyone
new opportunities to achieve success. wins.

Systematic gamification

To make the implementation of gamified
PBIS systematic and rigorous, there needs
to be data-collection processes, analysis
and decision-making procedures, and
schoolwide practices in place.

All teachers should be using the same
rubrics in regard to behavior, so that the
PBIS system is equitable and effective, as
well as easier for the students to
understand and comply with.

EDUCATION 30

EDUCATION

7 Examples Of Gamification
In The Classroom

BY KU CHING NGO

Everyone loves games. 7 Examples Of Gamification In
The Classroom

Albert Einstein himself indicate 1.Points given for meeting academic
they are the most elevated objective
form of investigation. He knew
games are avenues for some- Do students need to be citing details from the
thing deeper and more meaningful than a text and evidence for conclusions in class
childish waste of time. Games promote discussions? Answers without evidence are
situated learning, or in other words, now worth 1 point, a correct answer with 1
learning that occurs in groups of practice piece of evidence is worth 2 points, a correct
during immersive experiences. Oftentimes, answer + 2 pieces of evidence = 3 points.
playing games are the first method children
use to explore higher-order thinking skills 2.Points given for meeting
associated with creating, evaluating, non-academic objectives
analyzing, and applying new knowledge.
Need to solve a classroom issue such
Gamification In An Educational as shortening the time it takes to check
Context homework? All students who have their
homework out ready to be checked
Games have many elements that make before being prompted by the
them powerful vehicles for human learning. teacher now receive 2 points.
They are commonly structured for players to
solve a problem; an essential skill 3.Creating playful barriers
needed for today and tomorrow.
These sorts of barriers can be
Many games promote communication, academic or behavioral, social or private,
cooperation, and even competition amongst creative or logistical. One of the primary
players. Some of the most immersive advantage of gamification is the use of
games have a rich narrative that spawns encouragement mechanics through the
creativity and imagination in its players. application of playful barriers challenge.

Gamification, this approach of adding game 4.Creating competition within the
elements such as storytelling, classroom
problem-solving, collaboration,
competition, reward systems, feedback, and Students must follow a rule that
learning through trial and error into the teacher sets. When the student
non-game situations has already follows the rule,theclass gets a point.Anytime
experienced widespread implementation a student does not follow a rule, the teacher
fields such as marketing, and training. gets a point. This is great for introducing
procedures and behavioral expectations.
Reward given can be like one
minute dance party or fewer homework.

EDUCATION 31

5.Comparing and reflecting on 6.Using levels, checkpoints, and
performance in advanced ways other methods of ‘progression’
personalized for each student
Track points over multiple classes, when
At the end of some video game levels, the students reach an important milestone
player’s performance is broken down into such as 100 points let them level up, as
countless details offering enormous data, they progress further give out sustainable
achievements, and ways to reflect and milestone rewards, such as eating lunch
document their performance and compare with the teacher or a free dress code.
with others.
Competitive students will race to have
For example, one game might offer statistics the highest level in their class and
of which objectives were met and how, grade which can be leveraged by
assigned a ‘badge’ based on that particular creating quests which require them to
performance ‘style,’ then track every minute recruit lower level students in quests
detail around that performance you can which require both to practice target skills.
imagine: total number of jumps, number of
enemies alerted and number of different ways 7.Grading backward
a specific problem was solved.
Start grading at 0 instead of 100. Every
Creating a range of unique rewards
desirable for a range of unique assignment, demonstrated mastery, or
students
desired behavior earns points
Students get sunglasses to wear until the
period is over at 5 points, the privilege to take off for them towards 100 or
their shoes at 10 points, a positive text to their
parents at 15, and if the high score is over 15, whatever reward you’d like to provide.

whoever has it may ‘steal’ the teacher’s chair. Bonus: Using a scoreboard seating
chart
THINK!
Draw or project a seating chart onto a
Bill Bowerman once say that a teacher is whiteboard, and then award students
never too late to learn from a student. points for all activities that you want to
incentivize with sustainable rewards or
recognitions at different point levels.

“Gamification in education has been around for quite some time. Adding game elements to learning tasks
makes them more fun and engaging for students of all ages. But you might be surprised to learn how easy it is

to gamify the learning process, making lessons more fun for students and teachers alike.”

EDUCATION 32

EDUCATION

Gamification Techniques: How to
Apply Them to E-Learning

IBY KU CHING NGO Player Control
f you’re in the e-learning industry, you’ve
heard the term by now: gamification. Having control over the journey and the
Sounds fun, right? But true gamification outcome is a common element of many
is more than throwing together some games. Players love to feel in control of
badges and a their potential for success.
leaderboard.
One way to give learners control is to let
E-learning gamification is the application of them choose an avatar or character that
game elements and gaming techniques to appears in the course. Another way is to
online learning content in an effort to make it open up navigation to give learners control
fun and engaging. In other words, using game over how they progress through the
mechanics to encourage learners to explore content. For example, you could let
and learn. learners access content from a main menu
with several possible choices, instead of
What are some of these gamification forcing them down a linear path.
techniques, and how can you apply them to
e-learning? Let’s take a closer look at some Discovery
examples.
Games often encourage discovery and
Narrative exploration; for example, people love to
“hunt” for a hidden treasure.
A key part of many games is the narrative, or
the story, behind them. These stories often One way to incorporate this technique in
incorporate a protagonist (a relatable your course would be to ask learners to
character), an antagonist (a challenge the search for hidden nuggets of information
protagonist faces) and a plot (a sequence of to score some extra points.
events).
If you decide to implement this technique,
Creating a scenario is a great way to add a keep in mind that while looking for extra
narrative element to your course. Scenarios information is a fun add-on, you should
involve characters that follow a simple plot or never make a learner dig for a critical piece
sequence of events. of information.

Rules Rather, hidden information should be “nice
to know” information that’ll help learners
Rules are a critical part of any game to set deepen their understanding.
expectations and parameters. They let
players know what they can and cannot do. Also, be sure to provide learners with clear
instructions about what they’re looking for.
Clear communication about what you expect There’s nothing worse than clicking
learners to do at every turn will ensure they’re aimlessly without knowing what or where
never left guessing about what to do. to look.

EDUCATION 33

Interactivity Loss Aversion

How many games have you played that Loss aversion refers to the tendency of
required you to do nothing? None! Games are humans to prefer avoiding losses to
all about stimulation and engagement, whether acquiring gains. Studies have
mental or physical, and making a move is part demonstrated that a loss is twice as
of the process. powerful as a gain, and this mental
propensity is used by many game devel-
Adding interactivity doesn’t simply mean opers.
asking the user to “click” more often. The key
is to craft meaningful interactions that require Use a points system in your course to let
learners to think and make decisions. Instead learners know where they stand, and let
of telling them the information outright, make them know points can be taken away for
them select the correct choice from a list and incorrect answers. You could also use a
drag it into place. Instead of presenting them visual progress meter, such as a map with
with the steps of a linear process, get them to checkpoints, to show learners
order the steps themselves. whether they’re moving forward or
backward as they progress through the
Feedback content.

Feedback is a key part of gaming. It lets users Continuous Play
know their action has been recognized, and it
provides a cue to players about how they are Continuous play is the ability for gamers
progressing. Feedback doesn’t have to be text. to pick up where they left off and continue
“Unlocking” new features, for example, is a the game. This means that even gamers
type of feedback that lets players know they’re who “lose” the game can start over and try
doing well. again as many times as they want.

Badges or checkpoints are a way to show feed- When you design your content,
back and achievement. Progress bars are also consider giving learners the opportunity to
great for providing ongoing feedback and let- keep going! It’s a great sign when learners
ting learners know how they’re doing. want to retry or revisit content. It means
they’re interested and intrigued.
Time Constraints
Remember: you want to encourage your
Games use time constraints to create a sense learners to remember the content, so if
of urgency, which pressures the gamer to think they want to revisit it, why not let them?
and act quickly.
One way to incorporate continuous play
To simulate a real-life constraint, consider into your courses is to allow learners to
using a countdown or a timer on your quiz. retake a quiz or assessment if they fail.
For example, if your call center expects calls
to be completed in less than five minutes, give Another way is to give them a second
your scenario a time limit of five minutes for the chance if they answer a question wrong.
learner to pass.
EDUCATION 34

Rewards Levels Competition

Bonus points or rewards Achieving different levels, Leaderboards are one of the
make people feel good, and goals, or most popular ways to
are used extensively in many challenges is a common encourage competition in the
different games. theme among games. gaming world. Leaderboards
rank players and their scores,
Consider giving learners Instead of having chapters and people love them
“bonus points” for more or modules, because they like to get
difficult questions, or organize your content into recognition for their skills and
providing them with an ability “levels” and effort.
to earn extra rewards based “unlock” the levels when
on good choices. learners answer choice However, be mindful of the
correctly or hit a certain information you share.
number of points.
Making low scores public
could be embarrassing for
learners, for example. It might
be a better idea to focus only
on high scores.

“If you want to level up, you need to become great at learning new things and applying them to accomplish
your goals — whatever they might be.

The more times you do this, the more skills you will have acquired, which will start to stack up. Then you will
be able to combine them to achieve bigger things and reach exponential growth.

Now all you have to do is choose what’s your next level, and what needs to be done to level up.”

EDUCATION 35

EDUCATION

Gamification of learning

BY KU CHING NGO Distinguishable from game-based learning,
gamification of learning does not involve
The gamification of learning is an students in designing and creating their
educational approach to motivate own games, or in playing commercially
students to learn by using video produced video games.
game design and game elements
in learning environment. Within game-based learning initiatives,
students might use Gamestar
The goal is to maximize enjoyment and Mechanic or GameMaker to create their
engagement through capturing the interest own video game, or play Minecraft, for
of learners and inspiring them to continue example, where they explore and create
learning. 3D worlds.

Gamification, broadly defined, is the process In these examples, along with games such
of defining the elements which comprise as Surge for PlayStation and Angry Birds,
games that make those games fun and the learning agenda is
motivate players to continue playing, and encompassed within the game itself.
using those same elements in a non-game
context to influence behaviour. Game elements that can facilitate
learning
In other words, gamification is the
introduction of game elements in a a) Progress mechanics
non-game situation.
b)Narrative and characters
There are two forms of gamification,
structural with no subject matter changes, c)Player control
and the altered content method that adds
subject matter. d) Immediate feedback

Games applied in learning can be e) Opportunities for collaborative problem
considered as serious games, where the solving
learning experience is centred around
serious stories. f)Scaffolded learning with increasing
challenges
The serious story is “impressive in quality”
and “part of a thoughtful process” to achieve g) Opportunities for mastery, and leveling
learning goals. up

In educational contexts, examples of desired h)Social connection
student behaviour which gamification
can potentially influence include attending When a classroom incorporates the use of
class, focusing on meaningful learning some of these elements, that environment
tasks, and taking initiative. can be considered “gamified”.

EDUCATION 36

A system of game elements which The dynamic combination of intrinsic and
operates in the classroom is explicit, and extrinsic motivators is a powerful force which,
consciously experienced by the students in if educational contexts can adapt from video
the classroom. There is no hidden agenda games, may increase student motivation,
by which teachers attempt to coerce or trick and student learning.
students into doing something.
Some of the potential benefits of successful
Students still make autonomous choices to gamification initiatives in the classroom
participate in learning activities. The include:
progress mechanics used in the gamified
system can be thought of as lighting the a) giving students ownership of their
way for learners as they progress,and the learning
other game mechanics and elements of
game design are set up as an immersive b) opportunities for identity work through
system to support and maximize students’ taking on alternate selves
learning.
c) freedom to fail and try again without
Benefits negative repercussions

Gamification initiatives in learning contexts d) chances to increase fun and joy in the
acknowledge that large numbers of classroom
school-aged children play video games,
which shapes their identity as people and e) opportunities for differentiated instruction
as learners.
f)making learning visible
Incorporating elements from games into
classroom scenarios is a way to provide g) providing a manageable set of subtasks
students with opportunities to act auton- and tasks
omously, to display competence, and to
learn in relationship to others. Game h)inspiring students to discover intrinsic
elements are a familiar language that motivators for learning
children speak, and an additional channel
through which teachers can communicate i)motivating students with dyslexia with low
with their students. levels of motivation

Game designer Jane McGonigal This game mechanic which involves tracking
characterizes video game players as players’ learning in the game, and
urgent optimists who are part of a social responding by raising the difficulty level of
fabric, engaged in blissful productivity, and tasks at just the right moment, keeps players
on the lookout for epic meaning. from becoming unnecessarily frustrated with
tasks that are too difficult, as well as keeps
If teachers can successfully organize their players from becoming bored with tasks that
classrooms and curriculum activities to are too easy.
incorporate the elements of games which
facilitate such confidence, purpose and This pacing fosters continued engagement
integrated sense of mission, students may and interest which can mean
become engrossed in learning and that learners are focused on educational
collaborating such that they do not want to tasks, and may get into a state of flow, or
stop. deeply absorbed in learning.

EDUCATION 37

Application Students may be organized into teams or
guilds, and be invited to embark on
Three key ways in which a classroom, course, learning quests with their fellow guild
or unit can be gamified are through members. They may be encouraged to help
changing the language, adapting the grad- other guild members, as well as those in
ing process, and modifying the structure of other guilds, if they have mastered a
the learning environment. With regard to lan-
guage, instead of referring to academic learning task ahead of others. Students
requirements with the typical associated tend to express themselves as one of the
terms, game-like names may be used instead. following game-player:

For example, making a course presenta- a) player (motivated by extrinsic rewards)
tion might be referred to as “embarking on a b) socialiser (motivated by relatedness)
quest”, writing an exam might be “defeating a c)free spirit (motivated by autonomy)
monsters”, and creating a prototype might be
classed as “completing a mission”.

In terms of grading, the grading scheme for d)achiever (motivated by mastery)
a course might be adapted to make use of
experience points (XP) as opposed to letter e)philanthropist (motivated by purpose)
grades. Each student can begin at level one
with zero points; as they progress through the The role of the teacher is to design a
course, completing missions and gamified application, embedding game
demonstrating learning, they earn XP. A chart dynamics and mechanics that appeal to the
can be developed to illustrate how many XP target group (i.e.students) and provide the
is required to earn a letter grade. type of rewards that are attractive to the
motivation of the majority.Therefore, it is
For example, earning 1500 XP might important teachers know their students so
translate to a C, while 2000 would earn a B, they are able to best design a gamififed
and 2500, an A. Some teachers use XP, as program that not only interests the students
well as but also one in which matches the specific
health points (HP) and knowledge points (KP) learning goals that hit on elements of
to motivate students in the classroom, but do knowledge from the
not connect these points with the letter grades curriculum.
students get on a report card. Instead these
points are connected with earning virtual The teacher also needs to responsibly track
rewards such as badges or trophies. student achievements with a web-based
platform, such as Open Badges, the
The structure of a course or unit may be WordPress plug-in GameOn or an online
adapted in various ways to incorporate spreadsheet. The teacher may also
elements of gamification; these adaptations publish a leaderboard online which illus-
can affect the role of the student, the role of trates the students who have earned the
the teacher, and role of the learning most XP, or reached the highest level of
environment. play. The teacher may define the param-
eters of the classroom “game”, giving the
The role of a student in a ultimate learning goal a name, defining the
gamified environment might be to adopt an learning tasks which make up the unit or the
avatar and a game name with which they course, and
navigate through their learning tasks. specifying the rewards for completing those
tasks. The other important role of the
teacher is to provide encouragement and
guidance for students as they navigate the

EDUCATION 38

The role of a gamified learning environment Effectiveness
may be structured to provide an overarching
narrative which functions as a context for all Students who completed the gamified
the learning activities. For example, a narra- experience got better scores in practical
tive might involve an impending zombie attack assignments and in overall score, but their
which can be fended off or a murder mystery findings also suggest that these students
which can be solved, ultimately, through the performed poorly on written assignments
process of learning. Learning is the focus of and participated less on class activities,
each gamified system. although their initial motivation was higher.

Sometimes the narrative is related to the The researchers concluded that
content being learned, for example, in the case gamification in e-learning platforms seems
of a disease outbreak which can be stopped to have the potential to increase student
through learning biology. In some cases the motivation, but that it is not trivial to achieve
narrative is unrelated, as in a case of music that effect, as a big effort is required in the
students who learn to play pieces as the means design and implementation of the
to collectively climb up to the top of a mountain, experience for it to be fully motivating for
experiencing various challenges and setbacks participants.
along the way.
On the one hand, qualitative analysis of the
Other ways in which gaming elements are part study suggests that gamification can have a
of the role of the learning environment include great emotional and social impact on
theme music played at opportune times, a students, as reward systems and
continuous feedback loop which, if not competitive social mechanisms seem to be
instantaneous, is as quick as possible, a motivating for them. But quantitative
variety of individual and collaborative analysis suggests that the cognitive impact
challenges, and the provision of choice as to of gamification on students is not very
which learning activities are undertaken, how significant.
they will be undertaken, or in which
order they will be undertaken. Students who followed traditional
exercises performed similarly in overall
score than those who followed gamified
exercises.

Disadvantages of gamified learning were
reported by 57 students who did not want to
participate in the gamified experience. The
most frequent reason argued by students
was ‘time availability’.

The second most important reason were
technical problems. Other reasons were
that there were too many students and that
they had to visit so many web pages and
applications at the university that they did
not want to use a new one.

EDUCATION 39



MOTIVATION

Got Game: How Gamification and
Simulation Training Can Upskill

the Supply Chain Workforce

by JOY LIM SIEW YEE

Tech Tools for Training

With unplanned downtime costing indus-
trial businesses over $50 billion annually,
knowledgeable and well-trained mainte-
nance professionals are critical to supply
chain operations running smoothly. Having
a maintenance department that can solve
problems, mechanical as well as electrical,
can avoid extra expenses, such as lost pro-
ductivity and changing parts unnecessarily.

With automation and artificial in- Simulation is one training technology that
telligence changing the busi- is gaining popularity through virtual reality
ness and pace of the supply (VR), augmented reality (AR) or computer
chain industry, many of the skills needed to devices. For example, the Raymond Virtual
operate the facilities of the future are shifting. Reality Simulator is used to train new and
Attracting and retaining the best staff can be existing lift truck operators working in ware-
challenging given the current manufacturing housing and distribution facilities.
skills gap caused by retiring Baby Boomers
and an insufficient pool of available workers Users interacting with simulation tools can
to replace them. This is why many in the sup- practice on realistically-replicated equip-
ply chain industry are engaging their employ- ment and explore different scenarios and
ees through new tools, such as simulation even make mistakes. None of the plant’s
and gamification techniques. assets need to be down for training purpos-
es, and the activities are done in a safe way
without risk of injuries or equipment dam-
age. By using instructional 3D simulation
tools, a more immersive experience can be
provided for those learning how to operate
advanced automated equipment and solve
electrical maintenance problems on the
plant floor. When users interact with a 3D
representation of a plant environment, they
can make observations, such as if there is
water on the floor, and understand how ac-
tual conditions can affect operations. This
tool provides a powerful and effective way
to develop critical thinking of maintenance
personnel.

MOTIVATION 41

Game On! Using gamification methods can be useful
for onboarding a younger generation in par-
Simulation tools that employ cutting-edge graphics ticular. Millennials and Gen Z has grown up
and video game techniques can also use gamifica- with video games and are comfortable inter-
tion methods to effectively train. Gamification is the acting with them. Additionally, games can
concept of using game design elements to motivate be helpful with retraining older workers who
participation and engagement with some existing might need extra training to keep up with
entity, such as a website, app and brand. the advanced automation in plants. Finding
ways to inspire and motivate older workers
Currently, some of Amazon’s fulfillment centers are who have a wealth of knowledge, but might
testing a gamification program where games are be resistant to doing things can be challeng-
displayed on small screens at employees’ work- ing. However, training programs that make
stations. When robots move shelves to a work- learning stimulating and engaging can help
station, lights or screens direct the worker to the with the upskilling process.
items to fill the particular order. Scanning devic-
es track the completion of tasks and can spark For operations that are becoming more au-
competition among employees, teams or even tomated, new equipment is just one part of
floors to achieve the best performance. Those the digital transformation. People will still be
workers who have the higher scores get bragging needed to work in these facilities, but they
rights and “swag bucks” that can be used to pur- might not have the skills necessary to do
chase Amazon-branded clothing and other items. so. Investing in employees and having an
effective training program will be crucial to
Amazon is trying out this program in order to make prepare supply chain companies for future
its fulfillment center jobs less mundane and monot- challenges.
onous — a criticism the company has been under
fire for recently. Plus, if the program works success-
fully to engage employees, higher rates of produc-
tivity could be one of the positive outcomes.
In training applications, gamification elements can
take the form of leaderboards, merit badges and
buttons to encourage peer competition and moti-
vate both new workers and existing staff to learn
more skills. However, these “serious games” must
be designed properly so that trainees are not inter-
acting with just a game, but with actual concepts.

MOTIVATION 42

MOTIVATION

How To Use Gamification To
Build And Motivate Your Remote

Team

by JOY LIM SIEW YEE

Most organizations already benefit Infinite gamification (as opposed to ‘finite gam-
from gamification techniques to ification’) doesn’t have an end. Instead, it facil-
some degree - employee benefit itates continuous improvement by measuring
schemes for sales competitions are common business success for the long term – the goal is
gamification uses - but often, the goal is short not a reward at the end, but the benefits of the
term or lacking in an overall strategy. feedback provided by the game itself.

As social beings, we all compare all the time. We
differentiate our current selves with our former
people, who we think we are, and who we are.
We compare it with our neighbors, our friends,
and celebrities on TV. Unless we live in a dark
cave, the comparison is a fact of life. As leaders
using infinite gamification techniques, our job is
not to wipe out comparison altogether, that’s not
possible, but to signpost the healthiest form of
comparison for our team’s context.

In his timely new book, Infinite Gamification: mo- Modern culture is filled with examples
tivate your team until the end of time, Toby Beres- of infinite gamification. Indeed, some
ford, a seasoned gamification practitioner, lays out of the most successful gamification
the simple steps any business manager can use to programs are infinite by design. Good
get gamification right. examples of infinite gamification
include:
So what is “infinite” gamification? It turns out it’s
the branch of gamification most business leaders are The Oscars—where status is awarded annually
using, albeit unconsciously when they score perfor- based on the votes of a select few.
mance on internal metrics. • Forbes 400 — where status is accorded based
on net wealth.
• English Premier League —where status is
based on the game results.
• Air Miles

MOTIVATION 43

In most businesses, you can find examples of Findings now suggest:
infinite gamification, such as the Employee of
the month or a quarterly sales leaderboard. ● Design your infinite gamification program to
drive the right behaviors in your organization.
Infinite gamification programs can be im-
mensely powerful. They can create value ● Follow a design process to ensure you cre-
for managers, teams, and players. They can ate a successful program, avoid mistakes, and
spawn an entire industry with an associated engage all your players.
ecosystem around it. When you take into ac-
count ticket sales, TV sponsorship, player sal- ● See sustained improvements in your team,
aries, and so on, the English Premier League organization, or the wider world.
is worth around $3 billion a year. Not an ad-
verse outcome for a single gamification design! ● Don’t create a score, index, target, metric,
goal, KPI, scorecard, competition, league, or
So, how do you introduce leaderboard without it!
gamification appropriately into your
workplace to motivate and inspire

your team when they are working
from home, amid the domestic
noise?

Beresford says, “the key to creating a good
infinite gamification program is to keep it sim-
ple and start small. Keep asking your team
what feedback will benefit them and keep ad-
ditional rewards to a minimum. Focus on the
feedback, not the rewards. Once you’ve got it
running, don’t give up, expect your program
to evolve as it becomes more useful both to
you as a leader and to your team as players.”

Beresford is an expert when it comes to gam-
ification and metrics. His work gamifying the
United Nations staff was to encourage UN
staff to use social media to promote the work
of the UN. Since the program began, the team
has collectively added over a million new so-
cial media followers to their accounts.

MOTIVATION 44

MOTIVATION

Educate Your
Customers and Employees training

by JOY LIM SIEW YEE WHAT IS GAMIFICATION?

When you are in the busi- It should be pointed out that gamification is, in
ness of selling your prod- fact, not gaming. Gamification it’s the process
ucts and/or services, it’s of applying game elements, game mechan-
very important along with offering a ics, and game thinking to non game situation.
high-quality standard. Find an emotion- It doesn’t involve playing games or creating
al connection and create mutually bene- ones for business applications at all. It’s about
ficial relationships with your customers. borrowing game features that make them so
It’s one thing to raise awareness about engaging and entertaining for users and am-
your brand and find customers. But what plifying the experience of your existing apps.
comes next is a challenge to retain them,
make them loyal to you. And that’s where
gamification techniques come in handy.

Gamification market was valued Gamification in business takes what you al-
at USD 7.17 billion in 2019 and is ready have, be it a website or an applica-
expected to have 30.31% of annu- tion and integrates game mechanics into it.
al growth over the next five years So instead of building something new from
(2020-2025) scratch, you make use of what already ex-
ists by adding some gaming techniques.
Of course, with a goal, to attract, entertain
and retain your users as well as motivate
the desired action from them. How do you
achieve it? Simple. Gaming techniques take
advantage of what a human brain desires
— winning, rewards, and making progress.

MOTIVATION 45

THE MAIN COMPONENTS Retail and Marketing

Gamification incorporates gaming mechan- Today customers have more than an ample
ics into business applications. Thus making selection of brands to choose from. And it
user experience more fun and also encour- is your duty not only to get them hooked on
aging positive feedback from customers. your product and also engage them with it
One of the most popular gaming mechan- and thus make them loyal customers. The
ics that are used to achieve the desired way to do it — by making their experience
action are goals, transparency, badges, with your product unique. Leverage some
leveling up, fast feedback, onboarding, com- of the much hype tech trends, like aug-
petition, collaboration, points, and community. mented reality to entice them and achieve
your marketing objectives. You can intro-
duce gaming techniques to your loyalty
programs, create rewards-based promo-
tions that your customers can benefit from.

A great example of creating a gamifica-
tion environment for marketing purposes
is the campaign Nike launched in Shang-
hai that used a Mario-like game to attract
more clients. The brand introduced the
virtual environment called React Land.
Where customers could put to the test the
innovative new sole cushioning technolo-
gy by wearing Nike’s shoes and running
on a treadmill that was connected to a
digital version of themselves on a screen.

Now the important question is — how your
business can benefit from it? Engaging new
customers is as valuable as entertaining the
existing ones. Gamification can help your
business with both, as well as educate your
users or help you with marketing your product.

MOTIVATION 46

Gamification of Learning Employee Gamification

There’s no reason to believe that learning Bringing the element of fun is a useful
can’t be fun. It doesn’t have to be just monot- technique to engage both your clients and
onous lectures, boring PowerPoint presenta- employees. According to Gartner, 70% of
tions and large quantities of information you business transformation efforts fail because
have no idea how to process. Make it enjoy- employees don’t feel engaged. So naturally,
able with gamification of learning. Game- when employees feel engaged and involved
based learning creates more fun experience in their work, their performance boosts as
for learners. A good gaming strategy leads well as company loyalty and feel valued.
to higher levels of engagement and retention Assign points and rewards to make menial
rates. Not to mention it’s effective. The struc- or tedious tasks more interesting. By us-
ture is pretty simple, grab your user’s atten- ing game mechanics, you can encourage
tion, challenge them in an entertaining way your employees to take desired actions.
and help them learn something useful in the
process. This technique comes in handy 70% of business transformation
when you need to train your employ- efforts fail because employees
ees or to enhance professional skills.
don’t feel engaged – Gartner
One of the most successful learning gamifica-
tion apps, Duolingo, has around 300 million Deloitte understood that introducing game
users. The concept is pretty simple —learn- mechanics into the work process can dra-
ing new languages in an extremely entertain- matically increase the intrinsic motivation
ing and surprisingly addictive way. Duolin- of the employees. So, they decided to add
go’s approach is what makes it a success. a series of gamified elements, like badg-
es, leaderboards, status symbols to reduce
the leadership gap within the company.

MOTIVATION 47

MMMOOOTTTIVIIVAVATAITTOIINOONN

TTAeAecdcdhvhvnaSnaSniuniquCcqcCcuceouceoecdmeedmsessGspsfGpsfoaaioaarimnnrmnnCiSiCieSifeuasfiuasicsacsataStaSototimimoonenerr

by JOY LIM SIEW YEE

Gamification Elements in Game them through the logic and features of the
Design game and follow their journey while motivat-
ing them to continue and introducing novelty
Games are focused on the at each step. If players evolve too quickly, the
players and their experience. game becomes dull, if a challenge is too hard,
Game designers know how to the players feel frustrated. There’s a very fine
create the perfect journey that and blurred line that creates the perfect UX.
always leads to a great, immersive expe-
rience. Games are pleasant and intriguing Basic recurring elements which are easy to
for rookies and step by step become always spot in games are:
more challenging and introduce new ele-
ments to amuse the experts. 1. Increasing complexity
2. Checklists and progress bars that motivates
Designing games is an extremely complicat- players to improve their status
ed task. Users become more skillful while 3. They show where the journey is heading
playing and game designers need to find the to and create concrete expectations 4. Points
perfect balance that leads to curiosity with- connected to rewards (improving their status
out generating frustration. Game designers quo)
need to onboard their users quickly, guide

MOTIVATION 48

General Gamification Tactics we sults have and how these contribute
Experience Everyday to improving their current status quo.

From the employee of the month to sales lea- We all aim to improve our personal con-
derboards in companies, loyalty cards at dition. Gamification is used by schools
the supermarket and status reports for cred- and businesses to show how to move
it cards or frequent flyer reward programs, up to a better state. The journey we map
our world seems to be ruled by gamification. for our users has to be explicit and com-
Countries follow a point system connected to municated from the very first interaction.
economic rewards when they reduce their carbon Storytelling in ads or blog posts, sales
emissions and results are public. This sort of so- calls, explainer videos…all show how
cial graph is an essential component, of course. our product improves our user’s life and
we need to keep reminding our custom-
We’re more likely to achieve our goals if oth- ers of what they’ve already achieved
ers are following our progress and com- and what difference we made in their life.
paring our results with other players.
Everybody can think like a game de-
signer and this skill is particularly help-
ful for SaaS product managers, custom-
er success managers, and UX designers.
People need to be motivated. And motivation
is strictly connected to seeing immediate re-
sults, understanding what impact these re-

MOTIVATION 49

How do your customers feel colleagues and superiors, and reminding
throughout their journey with them of what they’ve done so far are ex-
tremely helpful customer success tools.
your brand? Gamification involves several psychological
tactics that ensure a great CX and create motiva-
Think of your ads, your website, your prod- tion. Motivation in turn, leads to engagement and
uct. How do they feel when they try to decide activation. And the overall experience may lead
on whether or not they should test your solu- to a higher customer LTV and potential referrals.
tion? How easy is it to sign up for a demo or
a trial? How do they feel when they discov- Gaming means making meaningful
er the product, set up their working environ- choices at each step within a formal
ment, try to understand how to achieve re- system that presents clear rules and
sults, need support, need to understand why
they need to follow certain procedures… outcomes.

Mapping the whole journey and connect- Gamification and User
ing each phase to a specific state is the first Onboarding
step to identify those areas that can be im-
proved in order to create an immediate and User onboarding is a discovery jour-
smooth CX that leads to success. And gam- ney that should create the basis for a
ification elements contribute to creating a long-term relationship with your cus-
much richer and more meaningful experience. tomers based on a positive experience.
While onboarding users, you need to be in
Gamification Techniques in SaaS control of what they do and in what order to
Companies make sure that frustration leads to imme-
diate churn or that negative brand associ-
Some general rules apply all the time. Nev- ations translates into poor retention rate.
er underestimate the power of faces and Once users are fully onboarded they
smiles. Smiling faces in pictures or ani- should feel confident enough to proceed
mations that pop up at the right time can on a discovery journey that allows for ex-
motivate users to try out your solution or perimentation. Users need to know what
move on through their discovery journey. to need to do and how they can do it.
Additionally, a great UX during onboarding
Gamification is not just PBLs (points, badg- should address the problem of the engage-
es, an leaderboards) but monitoring and re- ment gap and foster progression while cre-
warding users for their achievements, en- ating a set of habits that boost activation.
able them to share their results with their The trick is finding the perfect balance so that
users feel a sense of autonomy/control while
they just need to concentrate on using your
software, not understanding your software.

Target: let users use your product imme-
diately and keep them working for as
long as possible to see how their status

improves over time!

MOTIVATION 50