Have you ever asked yourself why you play games? Beyond the fact that games can help you relax, it is usually their engaging qualities that keep you hooked. As you experiment and learn from mistakes, you continually discover something new: a new storyline, item, activity, or level.
When people apply gamification to APP and web design, they often borrow game concepts at a superficial level while overlooking users' deeper behavioral patterns and intrinsic drivers. Different motivation models, feedback mechanisms, and achievement systems can make a product enjoyable in very different ways. Instead of copying formulaic methods, it is often better to focus on users' deeper psychological triggers and carefully design the process. A poorly designed reward can be worse than no reward at all.
That is easier said than done. The following examples show how user motivation and intrinsic drivers can be used to deliver a better gamified experience.
The monkeys were able to solve the problem because they found the process itself satisfying and enjoyable. The pleasure generated by completing the task was its own reward.
Human beings have an innate tendency to seek novelty, pursue challenges, expand their abilities, develop themselves, explore, and learn. People interested in growth and improvement—whether children, students, or employees—should focus more on intrinsic motivation than on stimulation from external incentives. —Edward Deci
That is why, when you ask a child why they play a game, the answer is invariably, “Because it is fun.” We pay too much attention to rewards and incentives. I acknowledge that they are necessary, but they are not as important as we often assume.
There are many ways to enter a state of flow. It can emerge when we have a clear goal, face a challenging task, and possess enough skill to meet that challenge. Better still, we may be close enough to the goal to try again. —Jane McGonigal
A friend's suggestion gave me an interesting idea: a gamification model that could work especially well in an APP—daily tasks that are refreshed without repetition.
