[Segah 2025] Gamified Interventions for Composting Behavior in the Workplace

This study investigates the impact of a gamified intervention, inspired by the Gamiflow framework, on promoting composting behaviors in a workplace setting. Using a hybrid approach combining physical compost bins and a Slack-based gamified system, the intervention engaged 20 participants, with half assigned to a control group and the other half participating in the gamified program over three days.

Results showed significant improvements in composting confidence among participants in the gamified program compared to the control group (t(18) = 4.05, p < 0.001). Although knowledge and motivation differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05), a trend was observed for improved composting behavior (χ² = 3.232, p = 0.072).

Post-intervention, the Slack channel continued to serve as a space for discussions on composting and eco-friendly practices, highlighting its role in fostering long-term community engagement. Limitations such as the relatively small sample size and short duration suggest future research should explore long-term effects and larger-scale implementations.

Transcript

1. Gamified Interventions for Composting Behavior in the Workplace Ezequiel França dos Santos¹²³⁴, Geiser Chalco Challco²⁵, Cláudia Sevivas¹³, Vítor Carvalho⁴⁶⁷ ¹ IADE – Universidade Europeia, Lisbon, Portugal ² ICMC – Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Carlos, Brazil ³ UNIDCOM/IADE – Unidade de Investigação em Design e Comunicação, Lisbon, Portugal ⁴ 2Ai – School of Technology, IPCA, Barcelos, Portugal ⁵ UFERSA – Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid, Brazil ⁶ LASI – Associate Laboratory of Intelligent Systems, Guimarães, Portugal ⁷ Algoritmi Research Centre, University of Minho, Portugal August / 2025 2025 IEEE 15th International Conference on Serious Games and Applications for Health
2. Problem & Motivation Food waste is a global issue with massive environmental impact. According to the food use hierarchy (European Commission JRC, 2024), composting is the last sustainable step before waste. If food is not composted, it's still considered waste, because energy is lost. Composting returns nutrients to the soil and closes the loop. 2025 IEEE 15th International Conference on Serious Games and Applications for Health De Laurentiis, V.; Casonato, C.; Mancini, L.; García Herrero, L.; Valenzano, A.; Sala, S. Building Evidence on Food Waste Prevention Interventions; Number 137760 in JRC; Publications Office of the European Union: Luxembourg, 2024 How can gamification and serious games be effectively designed and implemented to reduce food waste?
3. Research Questions 1.Can gamification improve composting behavior in the workplace? 2.Does it increase confidence and motivation to compost? 3.Can the Gamiflow framework be applied effectively to sustainability? 2025 IEEE 15th International Conference on Serious Games and Applications for Health
4. Gamiflow definition 2025 IEEE 15th International Conference on Serious Games and Applications for Health Chalco Challco, G., Bittencourt, I. I., Reis, M., Santos, J., & Isotani, S. (2023). Gamiflow: Towards a flow theory-based gamification framework for learning scenarios. In International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education. Springer, pp. 415–421. Engagement dynamics used: DMB – Dynamic to Maintain Balance Ensures progression through beginner → intermediate → advanced tasks, keeping difficulty calibrated to maintain flow. DAF – Dynamic to Avoid Frustration Alternative challenges are available for stuck participants. Immediate feedback helps reinforce effort and reduce dropout risk. DAB – Dynamic to Avoid Boredom Injects novelty through social and creative actions, such as teaching a peer or initiating a group composting idea. XP rewards and leaderboard visibility help sustain motivation. Based on Csikszentmihalyi ’ s Flow Theory, Gamiflow was originally developed for educational settings (Chalco Challco et al., 2023) to foster engagement through structured progression. In this study, it was adapted to composting behavior change. Core principles: Skill-challenge balance: Tasks must match participants ’ evolving capabilities Clear goals: Daily objectives are explicit and escalate in complexity Immediate feedback Participants receive real-time encouragement and validation.
5. 2025 IEEE 15th International Conference on Serious Games and Applications for Health Chalco Challco, G., Bittencourt, I. I., Reis, M., Santos, J., & Isotani, S. (2023). Gamiflow: Towards a flow theory-based gamification framework for learning scenarios. In International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education. Springer, pp. 415–421. Gamiflow DMB – Dynamic to Maintain Balance Ensures progression through beginner → intermediate → advanced tasks, keeping difficulty calibrated to maintain flow. DAF – Dynamic to Avoid Frustration Alternative challenges are available for stuck participants. Immediate feedback helps reinforce effort and reduce dropout risk. DAB – Dynamic to Avoid Boredom Injects novelty through social and creative actions, such as teaching a peer or initiating a group composting idea. XP rewards and leaderboard visibility help sustain motivation.
6. Study Design Design: Quasi-experimental 3-day intervention in a workplace. Participants: 20 volunteers (ages 22–55), randomly assigned: • 10 Control: composting bin + info material only • 10 Intervention: Slack-based gamified composting system Gamified Group: • Daily challenges shared via Slack Group • Participants submitted evidence (photos/messages) • XP awarded manually by facilitator • Leaderboard updated daily 2025 IEEE 15th International Conference on Serious Games and Applications for Health Control Group: • Same compost bin and materials • No Slack Group, no gamification Data Sources: • Pre/post surveys (confidence, knowledge, motivation) • Slack activity logs (posts, reactions, task completion) • Observational notes (engagement tone, spontaneity) Goal: Assess short-term change in composting behavior, confidence, and motivation between groups.
7. Gamified Mechanics The intervention followed a structured, 3-day progression using Slack and physical composting bin, inspired by the Gamiflow framework. Daily Challenge Structure • Day 1 – Compost 1, 2, or 3 items (Beginner → Advanced) • Day 2 – Teach 1–2 colleagues or organize a compost moment • Day 3 – Compost 3–5 items or propose a composting project 2025 IEEE 15th International Conference on Serious Games and Applications for Health Gamification Elements • XP system: Points awarded based on task difficulty • Leaderboard: Updated daily and pinned in Slack • Reactions & Comments: Social feedback via emojis and messages • Manual validation: Facilitator reviewed and awarded XP based on evidence • Gamiflow Dynamics: DMB, DAB, DAF
8. Gamiflow Dynamics Daily Challenge Structure • Day 1 – Compost 1, 2, or 3 items (Beginner →Advanced) • Day 2 – Teach 1–2 colleagues or organize a compost moment • Day 3 – Compost 3–5 items or propose a composting project 2025 IEEE 15th International Conference on Serious Games and Applications for Health
9. DAB DAF DM - Propose a Composting Project - Teach one collegue - Teach two collegues X X X X X X X - Compost 1 Item - Compost 2 Itens - Compost 3 Itens 2025 IEEE 15th International Conference on Serious Games and Applications for Health
10. Results Confidence was the most robust outcome: participants in the gamified group increased their confidence from 2.5 to 4.2 on a 5-point scale. This difference was statistically significant (t(18) = 4.05, p < 0.001), with a large effect size (Cohen ’ s d = 2.65). In terms of composting behavior, we observed a positive trend: 80% of the gamified group reported “always composting” by the end of the intervention, compared to 30% in the control group. However, this difference did not reach statistical significance (χ² = 3.23, p = 0.072). Still, the effect size (Cramér ’ s V = 0.402) suggests something meaningful might be happening. Finally, composting knowledge also improved, 90% of the gamified group correctly identified composting benefits, versus 50% in the control group. Again, this difference was not statistically significant (χ² = 2.14, p = 0.143), but points in the right direction. 2025 IEEE 15th International Conference on Serious Games and Applications for Health
11. Conclusions This study explored how a lightweight gamified intervention, grounded in the Gamiflow framework, could promote composting behavior in the workplace. The most significant result was a measurable increase in confidence to compost (p < 0.001, d = 2.65). Behavior and knowledge showed positive trends, though not statistically significant. Gamification dynamics, especially challenge variation (DAB), progressive difficulty (DMB), and feedback (DAF) — contributed to sustained engagement over three days. Although limited by sample size and duration, the intervention demonstrated feasibility and design potential for scalable behavioral impact in sustainability-focused settings. 2025 IEEE 15th International Conference on Serious Games and Applications for Health
12. Gamified Interventions for Composting Behavior in the Workplace August / 2025 2025 IEEE 15th International Conference on Serious Games and Applications for Health Questions Thank you.