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The three analytical depths of the Octalysis Framework for designing motivation

Core Idea: The Octalysis Framework can be applied at three increasingly sophisticated levels: Level I (analyzing the 8 Core Drives in a single experience), Level II (analyzing across the 4 Experience Phases), and Level III (incorporating different player types).

Key Elements

• Level I Octalysis: Basic Core Drive Analysis

  • Evaluates the presence and strength of the 8 Core Drives in an experience
  • Creates an octagonal visualization showing motivational strengths and weaknesses
  • Identifies which Core Drives are present or absent
  • Reveals balance between Left/Right Brain and White Hat/Black Hat motivators
  • Example application: Analyzing Facebook's strong Right Brain focus with limited Epic Meaning

• Level II Octalysis: Experience Phase Analysis

  • Extends analysis across the four Experience Phases:
    • Discovery: Why people would try the experience
    • Onboarding: Learning the rules and tools
    • Scaffolding: The regular journey of activities
    • Endgame: Retaining veteran users
  • Recognizes different motivational needs at each phase
  • Identifies motivation gaps and dropout points in the user journey
  • Shows how Core Drives shift in importance throughout the experience
  • Example application: Identifying that social aspects might drive Discovery but fail during Onboarding

• Level III Octalysis: Player Type Integration

  • Incorporates different player types to persona-specific motivation
  • Often uses Bartle's Player Types (Achievers, Socializers, Explorers, Killers)
  • Can use other player type models as appropriate to the context
  • Shows how different users experience motivation differently at each phase
  • Enables highly targeted motivation design for diverse audiences
  • Example application: Recognizing that Explorers might try a product from curiosity but leave during structured Onboarding

• Implementation methodology

  • Begin with Level I to understand basic motivational structure
  • Progress to Level II to identify phase-specific improvements
  • Advance to Level III for sophisticated audience-specific design
  • Use visual mapping to identify motivation gaps
  • Design specific mechanics to address identified weaknesses

Additional Connections

• Broader Context: Player Typology Models (frameworks for understanding different player preferences)
• Applications: Motivation Gap Analysis (identifying where engagement breaks down)
• See Also: User Personas (related technique in UX design)

References

1. Chou, Y. (n.d.). Actionable Gamification: Beyond Points, Badges, and Leaderboards.
2. Bartle, R. (1996). Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades: Players Who Suit MUDs.

#gamification #octalysis #player-types #user-journey #motivation-design

Connections:

Sources:

• From: Chou-Actionable Gamification