Two approaches to implementing gamification
Core Idea: Gamification can be implemented through two distinct approaches: explicit gamification, which utilizes obvious game-like elements that users consciously opt into, and implicit gamification, which subtly incorporates game design techniques into the user experience.
Key Elements
Explicit Gamification
- Definition: Applications that are obviously game-like where users acknowledge they are playing a game
- Implementation: Users typically need to opt into playing
- Examples:
- Dikembe Mutombo's 4½ weeks to Save the World (Old Spice advergame)
- McDonald's Monopoly Game
Advantages and Disadvantages
- Advantages:
- More playful design
- Greater freedom of creativity for designers
- Disadvantages:
- May be perceived as childish or non-serious
- Often faces resistance in corporate environments
- Typically requires more resources to create high-quality experiences
Implicit Gamification
- Definition: Design that subtly employs gamification techniques without obvious game elements
- Implementation: Game design elements are sometimes invisible to the user
- Examples:
- LinkedIn Progress Bar
- Wikipedia's intrinsic motivation systems
- eBay's competitive bidding and feedback system
- OPower's social comparison mechanisms
- Woot!'s unpredictability and scarcity elements
Advantages and Disadvantages
- Advantages:
- Technically easier to implement
- Appropriate in most contexts, including professional environments
- Disadvantages:
- Convenience can lead to "lazy" design
- Risk of ill-formed or ineffective implementation that fails to drive business metrics
Additional Connections
- Broader Context: Octalysis Framework (provides the underlying motivation theory)
- Applications: Product Gamification, Workplace Gamification (implementation contexts)
- See Also: Core Drive 1 - Epic Meaning and Calling (motivation that might be leveraged in either approach)
References
- Chou, Yu-kai. "Actionable Gamification: Beyond Points, Badges, and Leaderboards."
#gamification #design #motivation #user_experience
Connections:
Sources: