Using fun and game elements to steer human behaviour in a desired direction – that is the goal of Gamification!
It worked really well in a subway entrance in Stockholm: Usually, most people chose the escalator instead of using the stairs. The goal was to change this behaviour by using Gamification, so the stairs were transformed into an oversized piano making a tone with every step. Lo and behold, 66% more people than normally used the stairs! Simply, because it was fun all of a sudden.
Gamification can also be used in a business context to motivate positive behavioural patterns – externally with partners and customers as well as internally for employees. For instance, Siemens offered a game named PlantVille in which employees were able to build and manage a virtual plant, which resulted in very positive feedback.
We at Coopers also use Gamification: Our ambitious sales reps note their process progress on openly visible whiteboards. This boosts ambition and competition among them. Positive feedback is also an important and motivating game element frequently used by supervisors and colleagues. Our team's success speaks for itself.
One size fits all is no option for Gamification. Too manifold are the application areas and the design possibilities. Take into account the following aspects when you are interested in using Gamification in your business:
1) Clear goals: Define as precisely as possible what behaviour you would like to achieve with Gamification. Define measurable KPIs.
2) Target group: Define your target audience.
3) Needs analysis: Analyse your target audience regarding their needs, wishes, challenges et cetera. Another advantage of Gamification: Reactions to game elements reveal hidden preferences. You learn what player types you are dealing with.
4) Gamification Design: Select suitable game elements that can steer your target group (player types) towards the desired behaviour. Points, badges and leaderboards (PBL) are common game elements that focus on extrinsic incentives. Though, try to also motivate intrinsic behaviour, for example through direct positive feedback. Yukai-Chou's Octalysis Framework is a helpful tool for this.
5) Success monitoring: Monitor your Gamification KPIs constantly. Is your target group on track?
If done right, Gamification is a lot more than just some fun playing games at work. Gamification allows for an optimization of people-oriented processes and activities by influencing behaviour. This goes for individual career development, inter-divisional collaborations up to identifying hidden preferences of employees. If you succeed in making operational procedures so interesting with Gamification that your employees want to do them instead of having to, then the quality of work as well as your firm will profit of it in the long run.
We wish you lots of success and fun – literally – with your Gamification projects.
Did you already gather experiences with Gamification? Please, share them with us, we would love to hear more about it.
Your Coopers Team
Sources: Piano Stairs / Foldit / Octalysis Framework by Yu-Kai Chou
Further Literatur: For the Win by Kevin Werbach & Dan Hunter (2012) / Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior by Edward Deci & Richard Ryan (1985)
Helpful Websites: Bunchball / Pfeffermind
