AMPEAK 2016 Keynote - Changing the game: Understanding gamification and motivational design

In this presentation we undertake a journey into the realm of games to explore what exactly gamification is and how it might be used effectively in the workplace.

Many of the images used for this presentation were from the Unsplash website by Crew. An incredible website that provides free high-resolution photos that you can do whatever you want with.

Other image credits:
- Slide 4: NYC subway, waiting for the train by Stacy - CC BY-SA 2.0 https://www.flickr.com/photos/ramblingtraveler/3544734138/
- Slide 5: Escalator and stairs from West Dublin/Pleasanton station platform by Eric Fisher - CC BY-SA 2.0 https://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/5463240793/
- Slide 6: 24-hour gym with escalators, source unknown. Available from imgur. http://i.imgur.com/DogQxFQ.jpg
- Slide 9: Piano Stairs - Behind the scenes by KJ Vogelius - CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 https://www.flickr.com/photos/kj_/3669721910
- Slide 15: Graph adapted from Google Trends search on Gamification https://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=gamification
- Slide 55: oh a typical gamer by allison.johnston - CC BY 2.0 https://www.flickr.com/photos/allisonjohnstonn/6332963681/
- Slide 73, 77, 123: Carrot And Stick Incentives Lead Manage by Alan O'Rourke (Audience Stack) Background was removed - CC BY 2.0 https://www.flickr.com/photos/toddle_email_newsletters/17233999165

Transcript

1. CHANGING THE GAME UNDERSTANDING GAMIFICATION AND MOTIVATIONAL DESIGN Dr Zac Fitz-Walter (@zefcan) 
 AMPEAK 2016, Adelaide Just another regular day at the office…
2. Games and Gamification I’ve been invited here today to talk to you about games and gamification. Which might seem an odd topic to be discussing at a conference on asset management, but bear with me.
3. Because I believe we can learn a lot from video games that we can then apply to our workplaces to not only help us to improve employee performance, but also to increase productivity and encourage excellence.
4. But before we begin I want you to stop for a second and imagine this (you can close your eyes if you think that will help)… It’s Monday morning, you’ve just caught the train to work - you step off the platform and all of a sudden you’re faced with an important choice.
5. Do you take the stairs or do you use the escalator to exit the platform? What do you do? You know you should take the stairs because it’s better for you... but the escalator is calling as well. http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/5463240793/
6. But in a world where we struggle to get enough exercise, wouldn’t it be better if we were motivated to add a little more activity to our day by taking the stairs. So how could we do this? How could we encourage people to take the stairs instead of the escalator?
7. Odenplan, Stockholm, Sweden http://www.thefuntheory.com/piano-staircase Well some designers in Sweden came up with an interesting idea that didn’t involve demolishing the escalator, but instead focused on trying to make the stairs more enjoyable to use. Let’s have a look at what they did… http://www.thefuntheory.com/piano-staircase
8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lXh2n0aPyw
9. They are a fantastic example of playful design, drawing upon curiosity to encourage commuters to try something different. And you can see the effect they have on encouraging people to take the stairs.
10. The power of play …and these piano stairs are an incredible example of using the power of play to motivate people.
11. Gamification And this is exactly the same kind of thinking behind the concept of gamification - that is using play to motivate us.
12. Gamification Except that gamification draws more specifically upon video games. Why? Because video games are hugely engaging.
13. 1What is gamification? So let’s begin by discussing first, what exactly is gamification?
14. Gamification is a special word. Gamification is a special word.
15. trends.google.com 2009 2011 2013 2015 Web search interest in gamification It hasn't been around for that long - it’s actually hard to pinpoint an exact date of conception but the term did became popular around 2011. http://trends.google.com
16. It was around this time that the location sharing service Foursquare really took off as well. Initially released in 2009, by 2011 it had 7 million users. The first version of the app allowed you to “check-in” to different public places and businesses, and then you could share this check-in with your friends so they could find you.
17. But what foursquare really became well known for were the game elements that it included as a way to encourage you to use the app. Check in to any location and you would receive points. You could compare your score on a leaderboard and you also received badges for doing special things. This felt like a game!
18. Gartner Press Release - 2011 “By 2015, more than 50 percent of organizations that manage innovation processes will gamify those processes.” Also in 2011 Gartner released this statement which read....
19. To do list Exercise tracker Social network And so gamification began to become more and more popular. We saw many regular applications like to do lists, exercise trackers and social networks… www.strava.com Find My Friends - Apple realmacsoftware.com/clear/
20. To do list Exercise tracker Social network Being augmented with game elements to make them more motivating like these. And over the past few years we have seen an influx of gamification in a range of different areas. Let’s have a look at 8 key examples… www.rexbox.co.uk/epicwin/ zombiesrungame.com www.swarmapp.com
21. Code School https://www.codeschool.com/
22. EventMobi http://www.eventmobi.com/
23. Health Month http://www.healthmonth.com/
24. Health Month http://www.healthmonth.com/
25. Make Some Change https://makesomechange.com/
26. Nitro for Salesforce http://www.bunchball.com/products/nitro-salesforce
27. Fitbit https://www.fitbit.com
28. Fitbit https://www.fitbit.com
29. Zombies, Run! https://zombiesrungame.com
30. Finally, one more example from the productivity space. I get a lot of emails - probably like many of you. And dealing with email is not the most exciting part of my job. But there’s even a gamified app for that!
31. Email Game emailga.me
32. Email Game emailga.me
33. Gamification has become a buzzword So as you can see there are lot’s of examples from many different domains! What’s interesting though is that since it’s release, Gamification has become a bit of a buzzword - and it’s made a bit of a name for itself already, both good...
34. ..and not so good.
35. Unfortunately over the last couple of years it’s become a bit of “cure all” for engagement problems. Issues with engagement? A loyalty problem? Or customers aren’t clicking? Then you need gamification! And many people think it’s a one fix solution to any engagement issue - a silver bullet.
36. “80 Percent of current gamified applications will fail to meet business objectives primarily due to poor design” Gartner Press Release - 2012 And then gartner released this statement in 2012 saying…
37. http://www.redherring.com/internet/gamification-platform-badgeville-raises-25m/ Yet, gamification platforms like Badgeville, a system for adding game elements to websites, still received $25 million in seed funding.
38. Mixed messages? So we’re kind of getting mixed messages at the moment. Can gamification work for us? Is it worthwhile exploring in our businesses to increase engagement and motivate our employees? Or is it just another form of snake oil? Well to work this out, we need to go back to the roots of gamification and we need to talk about…
39. …games. It’s quite easy to dismiss games. We may think they’re childish, a waste of time. Something our kids spend hours playing - which potentially distracts them from their homework.
40. The average player? When it comes to video games you may think of a stereotypical player - one that looks like a young, nerdy male who plays videogames all by himself in his room all day.
41. Video games have become mainstream. But what’s interesting is that this is a demographic that has drastically changed over the last decade. For one, instead of just being played by a minority, video games have become mainstream. Let’s have a look at some results from the latest leading report on video games in Australia…
42. 68% of Australians play video games. IGEA, 2016
43. 98% of homes with children have computer games. IGEA, 2016
44. 78% of players are aged 18 years or older. IGEA, 2016
45. The average age of players is 33. (And 39% of those aged 65 and over play video games). IGEA, 2016
46. 53% male 47% female IGEA, 2016
47. Video games have become big business.
48. The total video game industry value in Australia was $2.46 billion in 2014. Up 20% from the previous year. IGEA, 2016
49. In 2014, the US industry sold over 
 135 million games and generated more than $22 billion in revenue. (More than 2x movie theatre takings for the same year.) ESA, 2016 The Numbers, 2016
50. Video games have become mobile
51. Mobile phones are used to play games in 66% of game households, tablet computers in 55% IGEA, 2016
52. We spend a lot of time playing games.
53. Australians spend on average 88 minutes a day playing games. IGEA, 2016
54. Let’s discuss one game, World of Warcraft. By one analyst’s calculation, the 11 million or so registered users have collectively spent as much time playing the game as humanity has spent evolving as a species— that is 50 billion hours of game time, which adds up to about 5.9 million years. That’s a lot of time! World of Warcraft
55. If games are so engaging...
56. …can we design gamification that can be engaging as well?
57. 2Let’s talk about 
 motivation. And I’ve found that to understand if gamification can work for us then we need to delve into theories of motivational psychology.
58. Let’s play a game... Before we get too deep though. Let’s play a game...
59. What do these have in common?
60. Swarm
61. Nitro for Salesforce
62. EventMobi
63. Fitbit
64. What do these have in common?
65. •Points •Badges •Leaderboards •Levels Well if you guessed one of the following, then you’re correct!
66. Gamification Blueprint There has been a little bit of a common theme with gamification design over the last couple of years. Known as the gamification blueprint, it regularly involves the use of...
67. •Points •Badges •Leaderboards •Levels one or more of these elements - Points, Badges, Leaderboards and Levels
68. These elements became popular after Foursquare used them, and since then they have been a very common way to integrate gamification into pre-existing websites, mobile apps and desktop software.
69. And there are entire platforms out there to help you integrate these elements into your website.
70. •Points •Badges •Leaderboards •Levels = Rewards } However there is something a little flawed with this way of thinking… if we look at these elements they are primarily all about rewards.
71. Behaviour + Rewards = Fun! With this thinking, having a behaviour and rewarding it then that creates fun right? However, this is often far from the truth. This is not what primarily motivates us to play games.
72. progresswars.com If it was then this would be the most enjoyable game in the world! You have a behaviour - clicking the button and you’re rewarded by levelling up! Not the most fun - there’s something missing.
73. Extrinsic Motivation This kind of motivation is known as extrinsic motivation, when we perform an activity in order to attain a desired outcome or to avoid a negative one - think carrot and stick. This kind of motivation can work well to encourage us for some things.
74. And for as long as any of us can remember, we’ve configured our organisations and lives around this assumption - that the way to improve performance is to…
75. reward good performance…
76. FIRED! …and punish poor behaviour
77. Extrinsic Motivation But there are disadvantages on relying on extrinsic motivation alone to try and motivate us. One disadvantage is that the value of the reward we give out can diminish overtime. So a bigger and bigger reward is needed to keep motivating us.
78. Also, this type of motivation doesn’t necessarily make us happy as humans. Which might explain why a 2014 study found that over 50% of Americans are unhappy at work, something they are being paid to do.
79. It doesn’t really explain why we play video games either - something we often have to pay to play.
80. Extrinsic Motivation There is actually another type of motivation at play other than extrinsic motivation.
81. Intrinsic Motivation And that is intrinsic motivation. Someone who is intrinsically motivated will undertake an activity primarily because they enjoy the activity. The drive is internal - such as reading because you are enjoying the book.
82. And the act of playing a game is also generally considered an enjoyable and intrinsically satisfying activity on its own. The advantage of being intrinsically motivated is that this type of behaviour can be long-lasting, self- sustaining and fulfilling. However, fostering intrinsic motivation needs the right set of conditions.
83. So what makes a game intrinsically motivating to play? So what makes a game intrinsically motivating to play? Well, there are a number of well-established theories for us to look at.
84. Autonomy Competence Relatedness Researchers Ryan, Deci and others believe that games are primarily motivating to the extent that players experience three things while playing. Autonomy, competence and relatedness. These are three basic psychological needs that if satisfied, allow for optimal function and growth as human beings.
85. Self-Determination Theory http://www.selfdeterminationtheory.org/theory/ This theory is known as self-determination theory. It is a theory of motivation which suggests that people tend to be driven by a need to grow and gain fulfilment.
86. Autonomy Competence Relatedness In self-determination theory, Autonomy refers to the choices people make and why they make them. When people choose to take on an activity because they’re interested in it rather than doing it for external rewards or fear of punishment, then perceived autonomy is high.
87. Autonomy Competence Relatedness Competence refers to the ability to be challenged appropriately. That is, you are given a challenge that matches your skill level - something that is not too easy to do and not too hard.
88. Autonomy Competence Relatedness And finally, relatedness refers to a person’s connection to, and support from others. It has to do with the development and maintenance of close personal relationships.
89. Autonomy Competence Relatedness Supporting these three needs is argued to encourage an incredibly high quality form of motivation. Imagine if we supported this in our workplaces?
90. Flow Theory We can’t talk about intrinsic motivation without also discussing the theory of flow. Flow describes a state of full immersion. When someone is concentrating so intently on an activity they are said to be in a state of flow. And flow has been witnessed in people who rock climb, dance, play chess...
91. …and also those who play video games.
92. Concentration Action and awareness Self-consciousness Control or agency Distortion of time Intrinsically rewarding When you’re in a state of flow, you often experience many things.
93. A clear goal Clear progress Clear Feedback Challenge and skill In order to reach or encourage this state of flow you generally need to have the following.
94. These are important factors to consider when designing games. So the notion of intrinsic motivation and flow are important factors to consider when trying to design a game that is engaging…
95. These are important factors to consider when designing gamification. …and also when trying to design successful gamification.
96. 3Changing the game. So now that we have an understanding of intrinsic motivation and what makes games so engaging - how can we apply this to non-game contexts - such as our workplaces, customers and employees - to make our processes and products more engaging?
97. ` Asset management is an incredibly large and diverse area, so there are many opportunities to look at in this space. Basically, anywhere a motivational problem currently exists could be looked at further, especially where there are particular systems and processes that rely on people to be engaged and responsive.
98. CEOs, leaders and managers have a strong focus on improving performance, increasing productivity and encouraging excellence. The greatest asset of course in any business are the employees and it is even better if employees find their work satisfying, challenging and meaningful, rather than just doing it to get paid.
99. Games and Gamification So how can games and gamification help us to achieve an intrinsically motivated employee?
100. Well, the trick is not to jump to the conclusion that you need gamification as a solution without fully understanding what your problem is first. Gamification is not a silver bullet - simply using badges to try and motivate your employees might not work as expected.
101. Does a problem with motivation exist? The key thing to ask is - does a problem with motivation exist?
102. There are different ways to work out if an issue exists. The best way is talk to your employees and see what is affecting their work. You could also observe them and collect data on performance. See where they’re getting frustrated or don’t understand something.
103. Autonomy Competence Relatedness If there is a motivation issue that you’ve identified, you can then use motivational theories, such as self- determination theory, as as a lens to delve down even further.
104. Autonomy Competence Relatedness You can ask yourself, do your employees have enough autonomy?
105. LinkedIn – Shows all the steps you can take to improve your profile completeness and how much each will move the completion meter. Just having the freedom over what task to tackle next is a possibility. On a small scale we can encourage autonomy in individual tasks. The LinkedIn website provides a great example of this - instead of a making it a step by step process, they give you a choice of what you can add to your profile next.
106. It isn’t quite gamification I know, but letting employees choose where they work from, or even what hours they can work is now a possibility thanks to technology. More and more we’re seeing workplaces that don’t mind what hours employees work as long as they hit their deadlines.
107. Autonomy Competence Relatedness Looking at how we can challenge employees is important too.
108. A clear goal Clear progress Feedback Challenge and skill We can see if our employees have the following in the tasks they’re undertaking.
109. Playvox Some workplaces are employing tools (such as Playvox here) that allow employees to track their performance over time. These tools can be a great way to provide feedback to employees and give them new goals to work towards. http://playvox.com/
110. Gamification can also be employed as a means to help engage new employees with systems and workplace training. Providing a simulation that trains employees to identify when an asset has reached the end of its operating life, or even educating employees on workplace health and safety is a possibility.
111. Virtual Refractor And there’s been quite a lot achieved in terms of training in other areas. Here’s a great example of a game-like training tool called Virtual Refractor - it’s a simulation of a virtual clinic. https://www.virtualrefractor.com
112. Virtual Refractor The benefits of a training tool like this is that it provides a safe environment for practicing and failing. Immediate feedback on performance is received and it encourages competence. https://www.virtualrefractor.com
113. Plant Doctor Another example is the Plant Doctor Simulator - it’s a mobile training game that helps train plant doctors. It lets you investigate and diagnose plant issues using gameplay and real time feedback. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.BondiLabs.PD&hl=en
114. GamiCAD There is also the possibility to augment existing tools to provide training. GamiCAD is an example of this. It’s gamified tutorial system for first time AutoCAD users that is actually built into the software. https://www.autodeskresearch.com/publications/gamicad
115. Autonomy Competence Relatedness We can also look at how we can use gamification to encourage relatedness in workplaces.
116. It’s important to help your employees connect with each other and connect to the values of the company, giving them a sense of purpose in terms of the work they do.
117. Zappos, the online shoe and clothing shop has an internal game called the face game which helps with this area.
118. Sign in Password Username Start! The idea behind this game is simple - whenever an employee logs in to their internal network…
119. Who is this? Zac Jimmy Tony Tyson I don’t know… …a face of another employee is shown and they have to guess that employee’s name. If they get it right then they find out more information about that person.
120. Correct! It’s Zac. Continue Zac is gamification and user experience consultant. He enjoys playing board games.
 zac@gamificationgeek.com This is a great example - it’s a really simple addition to the current system they have, yet it has the benefit of helping employees get to know each other - which can be very difficult in larger workplaces.
121. So, the potential for gamification in the workplace is great. The main thing to consider is to look at areas where a motivation problem exists before designing a gamified solution for it and using motivational theory to help guide your design.
122. The the best way to design an effective solution and mitigate risks is to hire someone who knows game or gamification design rather than going for a pre-packaged solution. You could even design something yourself! It’s easy to start with gamification and it doesn’t have to be that expensive.
123. Can we use rewards? One final caveat - rewards aren’t all that bad. For routine tasks which aren’t very interesting and don’t demand much creative thinking then rewards can provide a small motivational boost without having harmful side effects.
124. It’s interesting to think about what the future holds for gamification. With current Virtual Reality and Augmented technology appearing (such as google glass and the oculus rift) we may even see more integration of game elements with everyday life.
125. Games and Gamification So that’s gamification. Hopefully you now have some insight into what gamification is, how effective gamification might be designed by looking at theories of motivation.
126. Interested in more?
127. www.danpink.com/drive/
128. http://www.alfiekohn.org/punished-rewards/
129. http://www.drjasonfox.com/shop
130. For slides, videos, resources and more visit: http://gamificationgeek.com/ampeak2016 Gamification Geek Dr Zac Fitz-Walter (@zefcan) 
 AMPEAK 2016, Adelaide