P oceedings o he 50 h Hawaii In e na ional Con e ence on Sys em Sciences | 2017
How o gami y? A me hod o designing gami ica ion
Benedik Mo schheuse
IISM, Ka ls uhe Ins i u e
o Technology and CR
Robe Bosch GmbH
benedik .mo schheuse
@ki .edu
Ka l We de
In o ma ion Sys ems
and Ma ke ing IISM
Ka ls uhe Ins i u e
o Technology
ka l.we de[email p o ec ed]
Juho Hama i
School o
In o ma ion Sciences
Uni e si y o
Tampe e
juho.hama i@u a. i
Julian Abe
In o ma ion Sys ems IV
Uni e si y o
Mannheim
[email protected]
mannheim.de
Abs ac
Du ing ecen yea s, gami ica ion has become a
popula me hod o en iching in o ma ion echnologies.
Se e al business analys s ha e made p omising
p edic ions abou pene a ion o gami ica ion,
howe e , i has also been es ima ed ha mos gami ica-
ion e o s will ail due o poo unde s anding o how
gami ica ion should be designed and implemen ed.
The e o e, in his pape we seek o ad ance he
unde s anding o bes p ac ices ela ed o he gami ica-
ion design p ocess. We app oach his esea ch
p oblem ia a design science esea ch app oach;
i s ly, by syn hesizing he cu en body o li e a u e on
gami ica ion design me hods and in e iewing 25
gami ica ion expe s. Secondly, we de elop a me hod
o gami ica ion design, based on he ga he ed
knowledge. Finally, we conduc an e alua ion o he
me hod ia in e iews o 10 gami ica ion expe s. The
esul s indica e ha he de eloped me hod is comp e-
hensi e, comple e and p o ides p ac ical u ili y. We
deli e a comp ehensi e o e iew o gami ica ion
guidelines and shed no el insigh s in o he o e all
na u e o he gami ica ion de elopmen and design
discou se.
1. In oduc ion
Du ing ecen yea s he enhancemen o in o -
ma ion echnology ia design ea u es bo owed om
( ideo) games, also known as “gami ica ion” [20], has
become a no able de elopmen bo h in academia and
indus y [15]. Gami ica ion p ima ily aims a inc eas-
ing use s’ posi i e mo i a ions owa ds gi en ac i i ies
o use o echnology, and he eby, inc easing he
quan i y and quali y o he ou pu o he gi en ac i i ies
[14, 20]. Business analys s sugges ha mo e han hal
o all o ganiza ions will ha e gami ied pa s o hei
p ocesses by 2015 [12, 21]. In he academic ealm,
se e al s udies in a ious con ex s ha e shown ha
URI: h p://hdl.handle.ne /10125/41308
ISBN: 978-0-9981331-0-2
CC-BY-NC-ND
gami ica ion can be an e ec i e app oach o inc ease
mo i a ion and engage use s o pa icipan s in a gi en
ac i i y (see e.g. [15, 29] o e iews).
Howe e , i has also been p edic ed ha a majo i y
o gami ica ion implemen a ions a e doomed o ail
due o poo unde s anding o how o success ully
design gami ica ion [13]. This gap canonically o en
mani es s as modes gami ica ion designs commonly
consis ing only o simple mechanics, such as poin ,
badges and leade boa ds [15, 29]. Gami ica ion is
di icul o design: 1) The sou ce o inno a ion; games,
a e complex, mul i ace ed, and he e o e, di icul o
holis ically ans e o o he en i onmen s, 2) gami ica-
ion in ol es mo i a ional in o ma ion sys em design
[14, 20] which en ails unde s anding a hos o (mo i a-
ional) psychology, and 3) he goal o gami ica ion is
commonly also o a ec beha io which adds ye
ano he laye in o he scope o gami ica ion design.
This dea h in comp ehensi e unde s anding o he
phenomenon con inues o inhibi o ganiza ions om
adop ing and designing e ec i e gami ica ion ap-
p oaches. Thus a , only ew sou ces exis ha p o ide
me hodological insigh s (e.g. [7, 16, 28, 34]) and
p ac ical guidance on designing gami ica ion (e.g. [8,
27, 33, 39]). Howe e , mos o he amewo ks ha e
no been empi ically e alua ed and ha e been de el-
oped in a acuum. In his sense, he amewo ks do no
d aw on each o he bu a he inhabi sepa a ed a eas.
The e o e, in his pape we seek o ad ance he
unde s anding o bes p ac ices ela ed o he gami ica-
ion design p ocess. Applying design science, we
app oach his esea ch gap ia combina ion and
syn hesis o he cu en isola ed gami ica ion design
amewo ks, as well as by in e iews wi h gami ica ion
expe s on hei ac ual p ac ice. Secondly, we de elop
a me hod g ounded in his knowledge using me hod
enginee ing [4] and de i e equi emen s o gami ica-
ion p ojec s. Finally, we e alua e he p oposed
gami ica ion amewo k based on semi-s uc u ed
in e iews wi h 10 gami ica ion expe s and discuss
ou indings.
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Published in P oceedings o he 50 h Hawaii In e na ional Con e ence on Sys em Sciences (HICSS 2017) (pp. 1298-1307). Uni e si y o Hawai´i a
Manoa. ISBN: 978-0-9981331-0-2. h p://dx.doi.o g/10.24251/HICSS.2017.155.
1299
2. Da a and me hods
Gi en he s udy’s ocus, we op o a design science
esea ch (DSR) app oach [19, 26] implying ha he
esea ch p ocess consis s o wo p ima y modes o
in es iga ion and hei in e play: 1) de eloping/
building heo y-ing ained a i ac s and 2) e alua ion o
he de eloped a i ac s. Mo e speci ically, in he
con ex o he p esen s udy he de eloped a i ac is a
me hod o designing gami ica ion app oaches. The
e alua ion phase is based on in e iew in es iga ions.
In o de o de elop a holis ic pe spec i e on he
subjec ma e and in o de o de i e he co esponding
equi emen s, his s udy elies on mul iple sou ces o
da a. Since he p ocess o gami ica ion is ele an o
bo h, p ac i ione s and academics, we also collec ed
insigh s om bo h ealms. We ex ac ed he schola ly
expe iences om he li e a u e (p ac i ione and
academic ou le s) and expe iences om p ac i ione s
h ough in e iews. Bo h da a sou ces o m he
da abase ha was used o de elop ou me hod.
2.1.
Li e a u e Re iew
In o de o ex ac equi emen s, ac i i ies and
deli e ables om he li e a u e, we conduc ed a
he meneu ically-o ien ed i e a i e li e a u e e iew [3,
38]. As a esul o he i s i e a ion, we iden i ied
design ela ed key e ms o an ini ial sys ema ic
li e a u e sea ch, esul ing in he ollowing sea ch
s ing:
(gami y OR gami ica ion) AND ( amewo k OR
model OR design OR app oach)
. The i s sea ch
included he ollowing da abases: P oQues , ACM
Digi al Lib a y, AIS Elec onic Lib a y, IEEE Xplo e
Digi al Lib a y. Using me a-da abases included also
non-IS domains e.g. Human-Compu e In e ac ion. We
also conside ed g ay li e a u e and p ac ical ou le s o
inc ease he comp ehensi eness o ou indings [3]. As
a esul , ou sea ch iden i ied 468 a icles. In he
ollowing s ep, we emo ed duplica es and excluded
a icles based on i le, esul ing in 247 a icles. A
e iew o he abs ac s educed he numbe o a icles
o 35. Th ough a backwa d and o wa d sea ch [38] we
iden i ied ano he 26 po en ially ele an a icles. We
applied he same inclusion and exclusion c i e ia o
ocus on a icles ha p esen ei he a p ocess model,
a icula e speci ic equi emen s o p esen o he
ele an in o ma ion o he design o gami ica ion.
Consequen ly, ano he 5 a icles we e added o he
li e a u e pool. Thus, we conside a lis o 41 (35 om
he li e a u e sea ch +5 om back and o wa d
sea ches) a icles ha include ele an in o ma ion
abou gami ica ion as ou inal body o li e a u e. F om
hese a icles, we ex ac he desc ip ions o me hods,
phases, ac i i ies, deli e ables and equi emen s. In
o al, we ound 17
1
gami ica ion me hods. Fo each
iden i ied me hod we documen ed a co esponding
p ocess-deli e ables-diag am (PDD) [4] in o de o
build ou me hod da abase. A PDD is wo old, i
desc ibes he me hod ac i i ies and phases on he le
side, while i summa izes co esponding deli e ables
as ou comes o hose ac i i ies on he igh side.
2.2.
Expe In e iew
In o de o complemen and compa e ou equi e-
men s, ac i i ies and deli e ables om li e a u e we
conduc ed expe in e iews. We used di e en cues o
con ac o e 90 gami ica ion expe s. Wi hin his s udy,
we conside an indi idual as an expe based on hei
publicly a ailable in o ma ion abou hei occupa ion.
In pa icula , an expe has eal wo ld gami ica ion
p ojec expe ience and shows s ong in e es in he
subjec ma e (such as h ough i) being a speake a
in e na ional gami ica ion con e ence e.g. he Gami i-
ca ion Wo ld Cong ess, ii) being pa o a gami ica ion
associa ion, o iii) being one o he mos ac i e
gami ica ion “in luence s” in social media channels
2
).
In o al, 25 expe s om 16 di e en coun ies
pa icipa ed in he s udy. 15 in e iewees we e
gami ica ion expe s, 6 we e consul an s and 4 we e
academics. Following [31], we conduc ed semi-
s uc u ed in e iews o inc eases he eplicabili y o
he in e iews and enhance he in e iew quali y.
While he i s pa o he in e iew ocused on he
ex ac ion o equi emen s, he la e pa ocused on
gami ica ion app oaches and deli e ables. The
in e iews we e conduc ed in English and Ge man.
Wi h he pe mission o he in e iewees, all in e iews
we e eco ded and ansc ibed. Fo each gami ica ion
p ocedu e desc ibed in he in e iews, we de eloped a
co esponding PDD and ex ac ed in o ma ion
analogue o hose o he li e a u e e iew. Addi ional
in o ma ion in he ansc ip s we e coded and clus-
e ed.
The in o ma ion ga he ed om bo h, he li e a u e
e iew and expe in e iews cons i u e a comp ehen-
si e me hod da abase. By applying me hod enginee ing
[4] he de eloped PDDs and hei me hod agmen s
we e analyzed o hei alloca ion and comp ehensi e-
ness. Nex , he indi idual agmen s we e compa ed in
de ail, agg ega ed and assembled o he cons uc ion
o a new gami ica ion me hod. In addi ion o he
isualized elemen s o he PDDs, we summa ized
1
Highligh ed in bold a he e e ence lis .
2 The social media ac i i y was analyzed wi h he se ice “Rise”
h ps://www. ise.global/gu us based on he da a om Oc obe 2015
1309
co esponding equi emen s o gami ica ion p ojec s
o gain a comp ehensi e iew [35].
3. Resul s
Du ing ou e iew o he li e a u e and as esul o
ou in e iews i became clea ha mos models ollow
a simila p ocess, wi h subs an ial di e ences in he
de ails. Taken oge he , he ac i i ies o he conside ed
me hods can be di ided in o se en phases: (1)
P ojec
p epa a ion
: All ac i i ies ha ha e o be execu ed
be o e he p ojec s a s; (2)
Analysis
: Ac i i ies ha
a e used o iden i y he necessa y knowledge o use s,
p ocesses and he p ojec i sel ; (3)
Idea ion
: Ac i i ies
o come up wi h ideas o gami ica ion designs; (4)
Design
: Designing o gami ica ion app oaches and
c ea ion o p o o ypes; (5)
Implemen a ion
: Implemen-
a ion o a gami ica ion app oach; (6)
E alua ion
:
E alua ion and es ing o he gami ica ion app oach;
(7)
Moni o ing
: Moni o ing o he gami ica ion
app oach a e he elease. We ha e made he di ision
o he ollowing sub-sec ions acco dingly.
3.1.
P ojec p epa a ion
Ele en gami ica ion me hods in he e iewed pub-
lica ions and nea ly all in e iewed expe s ecommend
o s a wi h he iden i ica ion o p oblems ha should
be add essed ia gami ica ion and o de i e goals ha
could be used o measu e he success o a gami ica ion
p ojec (e.g. [10, 24, 39]). Nea ly all in e iewees
con i med his p ocedu e in p ac ice and emphasized
ha “many companies ha e a ough idea wha hey
wan o do, bu i has o be clea ly de ined wha he
objec i es a e and how hey can be measu ed” [I17].
The in e iews highligh ed ha clea objec i es a e an
essen ial equi emen o success ul gami ica ion
p ojec s (Table 2). The goals should be used o guide
he p ojec and suppo he expec a ion managemen
[I10, I12, I16, I17, I21]. Some au ho s [18, 36] also
sugges he c ea ion o a ision s a emen and ini ial
ske ches o be e communica e he objec i es among
he s akeholde s o a gami ica ion p ojec . Some
expe s ha e highligh ed ha he iden i ica ion o goals
should be ocused on use needs and mo i a ion
p oblems, a he han on business objec i es [I18, I19].
Fu he mo e, some au ho s epo ed ha , as a pa o
his phase, i should be de e mined, whe he gami ica-
ion is an app op ia e solu ion o he conside ed
p oblem o begin wi h [7, 10, 16].
The in o ma ion ga he ed h ough he li e a u e
e iew and he in e iews collec i ely sugges ha he
main pu pose o his phase is o cla i y he gami ica-
ion p ojec ’s objec i es. The e o e, ac i i ies such as
he
de ini ion
,
anking and jus i ica ion o p ojec
objec s
a e ecommended (c . [39]). Subsequen ly, i
should be
assessed, whe he gami ica ion is applicable
and sui able
. This ac i i y and equi emen was ound
in se e al sou ces (Table 2). The in e iews indica e
ha a
p ojec plan
wi h de ined objec i es, equi e-
men s and condi ions, such as he budge , du a ion,
p ojec eam e c. a e a ypical ou come o his phase
[I15, I16, I20, I21, I22, I24] (Figu e 1). Ou o e iew
also indica es ha so ac o s, such as he assu ance o
suppo om ele an s akeholde s [I3, I10, I14, I21]
and he expec a ion managemen [I10, I12, I16, I17,
I21] should be cla i ied in he beginning.
Figu e 1. Ac i i ies o he p epa a ion phase
3.2.
Analysis (o con ex and use s)
Gami ica ion is ypically applied in o de o en ich
in o ma ion sys ems o se ices wi h mo i a ional
a o dances o game ul expe iences [20]. The e o e, i
is easonable ha bo h, a p o ound unde s anding o
he a ge g oup, as well as he cha ac e is ics o he
sys em ha should be gami ied, is o pa icula
impo ance o design gami ica ion app oaches. Mos o
he e iewed li e a u e on he design o gami ica ion
ha e pu signi ican emphasis on unde s anding he
use s bu a he same ime ha e la gely neglec ed he
impo ance o he unde lying sys em ha is being
gami ied. Only ew s udies p o ide de ails on he
analysis o he applica ion a ea (e.g. [5, 7, 24]). To
collec and analyze in o ma ion abou he po en ial
use s o he gami ied sys em, se e al me hods we e
sugges ed. These including in e iews [7], obse a ions
[I8, I2, I18], measu emen s o ac ual use beha io [39,
I18, I22], analyzing o beha io chains [7], su eys
[36], dia ies and ocus g oups [28, I21]. All o hese
me hods we e also b ough up by he in e iewees. A
special app oach, called “ac i i y-challenge-mo i a ion
iple s”, is p oposed by De e ding [7]. This no el
app oach combines he use and con ex analysis and
ocuses on he iden i ica ion o challenges and use
mo i es in a gi en si ua ion. A ypical ou come o he
1301
use analysis is a a ge g oup cha ac e iza ion and
segmen a ion. Di e en ac i i ies o desc ibe and
clus e use g oups, such as c ea ing pe sonas [27, 36]
o ca ego izing he use s wi h playe ypes [34] can be
ound in he li e a u e. In addi ion o a demog aphic
cha ac e iza ion o he a ge g oup [28], especially he
iden i ica ion o mo i a ional ac o s, needs and use
goals has been highligh ed in nea ly all models and
expe epo s. The in e iews con i m ha he use o
pe sonas a e a common p ac ice [I12-I14, I18, I21, I23]
(e.g. [6, 8, 33, 36, 39]) and ha he use o segmen a ion
amewo ks, such as playe ypes [2] o he Oc alysis
F amewo k
3
could be bene icial o cha ac e izing he
a ge g oup. As can be seen om his iangula ion o
ele an li e a u e and expe in e iews, a wide ange
o me hods has been deemed sui able o explo ing and
analyzing he a ibu es o he po en ial use s.
The in e iews indica e ha he con ex analysis
seems o be mo e impo an in p ac ice, han i is
desc ibed in he academic gami ica ion li e a u e.
Especially in o ganiza ional con ex s he unde s anding
o he business p ocesses, he co po a e cul u e and
echnological cons ain s a e o en men ioned as
essen ial equi emen s o design sui able gami ica ion
app oaches [I6, I12, I15, I17, I24]. An in e iewee
sugges ed he c ea ion o p ocess models and scena io
analysis (I17, c . [30]). Ano he in e iewee ecom-
mended he c ea ion o use jou neys in o de o be e
unde s and and plan he beha io o he use s wi hin a
gi en con ex ([I22], c . [6]). E en i he use analysis
seems o be o g ea impo ance, an expe highligh ed
ha indus y pa ne s o en do no ully unde s and
why a use analysis should be conduc ed [I17]. O he
expe s ha e epo ed ha he a ge use g oup may be
e y la ge and he e ogenic, which can esul in an
ine ec i e use analysis [I8, I25]. In such cases, he
in e iewees ecommended o ocus on gene al use
needs and mo i a ions, such as he need o compe-
ence sa is ac ion [7, 20].
In summa y, ou da a indica es ha a ho ough
con ex and use analysis is a co e equi emen o he
success ul design o gami ica ion app oaches (Table
2). The con ex analysis is cha ac e ized by he
iden i ica ion
and
unde s anding o he con ex
, whe e
gami ica ion should be applied. Fu he mo e, we ound
ha he
de ini ion o success me ics
should be
conduc ed in his phase. Bo h, he in e iews and he
li e a u e ecommend his ac i i y o be able o
measu e and moni o he success o a gami ica ion
design (Table 2). The use analysis ocuses he
de ini ion and cha ac e iza ion o a ge g oups
, which
includes he
iden i ica ion o use needs, mo i a ions
3 h p://oc alysisg oup.com
and beha io in he cu en sys em
. The e iewed
me hods indica e ha he use in o ma ion and
segmen a ion a e ypically documen ed in o m o
pe sonas
(Figu e 2). Depending on he con ex , a
designe has o de e mine he g anula i y o he use
analysis and segmen a ion. Rele an li e a u e p o ides
a weal h o de ailed guidelines o suppo he ac i i ies
o he use and con ex analysis [6-8, 17, 33, 36, 39].
Figu e 2. Ac i i ies o he analysis phase
3.3.
Idea ion
Once an o e iew abou use and con ex cha ac e -
is ics has been ob ained, he nex s ep is o de elop a
gami ica ion design. Su p isingly, we ound ha
se e al published me hods do no desc ibe his co e
ac i i y in de ail. Mos o he iden i ied li e a u e on
he design o gami ica ion speci ically p omo e he
c ea ion o engaging challenges by he use o pa e ns
known o m games (e.g. [11, 16, 22, 24, 27, 28, 33,
39]). Mo e pa icula , hey a gue o he use o game-
design pa e ns and mechanics, such as ewa ds, poin s,
badges, leade boa ds o s o y elling, as building blocks
[27], and assume ha he combina ions o hese
elemen s can in oke engaging challenges and mo i a e
goal-di ec ed beha io (e.g. do X o unlock badge Y).
Mos o hese me hods emphasize he selec ion o
elemen s, which ma ch p e iously iden i ied use needs
and p omo e desi ed use beha io . Fu he mo e, some
au ho s ecommend o align gami ica ion elemen s and
mechanics, in o de o p omo e epea ed pe o mance
(“engagemen loops”) along a “playe jou ney” [17, 27,
39]. Howe e , he de ailed p ocess o selec ing and
combining building blocks in o de o design a
conc e e gami ica ion app oach o en lacks desc ip i e
de ails and only ew au ho s p o ide in o ma ion on
he mapping o gami ica ion mechanics o use ’s needs
[7, 33].
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The in e iews, on he o he hand, indica ed ha he
selec ion and design o gami ica ion app oaches is a
c ea i e p ocess and equi e an idea ion phase. The
in e iewees sugges ed ha p ac ice pays much
a en ion o his c ea i e p ocess, esul ing in a
comp ehensi e lis o gami ica ion design ideas. The
in e iews indica e ha he i s s ep is ypically an
i e a i e b ains o ming ac i i y (wi h he goal o come
up wi h a la ge amoun o ideas)
[I17, I19] c . [7, 17,
22]. Explo a i e b ains o ming has been highligh ed as
an impo an app oach o unde s and he so called
“design space” (i.e. he space o possible design
al e na i es) [I17, I19, 7]. Subsequen ly, he ideas a e
usually
consolida ed
in o de o c ea e a
lis o ideas
o he design phase [I17, I19, I22, 7, 36] (Figu e 3).
Figu e 3. Ac i i ies o he idea ion phase
Some in e iewees ecommended o ocus he
b ains o ming on he ul ilmen o use ’s needs, desi ed
beha io and a ge ou come, a he han on echnology
o game elemen s [I11, I14, I22, I24]. This iew has
also been adop ed in cu en heo e ical and concep ual
iews o gami ica ion [20]. Fi e expe s men ioned he
impo ance o use in ol emen in he idea ion phase,
in o de o ensu e he ocus on use needs (c . Table 2).
Nea ly all in e iewed expe s epo ed ha hey ollow
amewo ks, such as he Use -Cen e ed Design ame-
wo k [28, 32], Design Thinking [I2, I11, 15, I16-I22,
I25, 17], he Oc alysis F amewo k
4
[I6, I11, I12, I21],
he Play ul Expe ience amewo k (PLEX) [1, I19],
Laza oo’s 4 keys o un
5
[I16, I21] o he Pe son-
A i ac -Task (PAT) model [9, 10] in o de o guide he
idea ion. In e iewees also men ioned he use o
c ea i e echniques, such as “buddy s o ming”, “b ain
w i ing” o “p oxy hinking” in wo kshops wi h use s,
designe s and o he s akeholde s [I15-I17, I20].
Fu he mo e, we iden i ied a se o ools and ech-
niques, which a e used in p ac ice o s imula e and
guide he idea ion phase (Table 1). Fo example, i e
expe s men ioned ha he playing o games and he
discussion o mechanics in boa d and ideo games can
s imula e he mindse and suppo idea ion. Some
expe s s ess he impo ance o coming up wi h an
epic heme o a na a i e o guide b ains o ming and
glue design elemen s oge he ([I1, I7, I8, I11, I21,
I24], c . [33]). The li e a u e p o ides addi ional
4 h p://oc alysisg oup.com
5
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app oaches. Fo ins ances, [7] p oposes he use o
“inno a ion s ems”, inspi ing p omp s ha guide and
engage b ains o ming (e.g. “How migh we spa k a
sense o p ide in an assembling p ocess?”).
Table 1. Idea ion oolbox used in p ac ice
Tools
Pu pose
Boa d and
Video Games
Playing o games and discussion o game
mechanics can s imula e he mindse and
suppo idea ion [I1, I2, I10, I14, I25], [36].
Design
Lenses
Design lenses [7] p o ide a special
pe spec i e on a design space o guide
idea ion and design in a pa icula di ec ion
[I2, I6, I11, I16].
Design Ca ds
Design ca ds mos ly con ain design lenses,
such as basic human needs. Random and
play ul b ains o ming wi h hese ca ds can
help o come up wi h ideas o gami ica ion
[I2, I8, I11, I16, I17, I19], c . [1].
Visualiza ions
Visualiza ions (e.g. p ocess models) a e
used o unde s and and communica e he
ela ionships be ween use s and hei
beha io in he conside ed en i onmen
[I11], c . [30].
Game design
pa e ns
Commonly eoccu ing pa s in games a e
o en used as ounda ion o de elop ideas
o gami ica ion app oaches [I7, I8, I9] (see
[15, 27, 29, 33] o ypical pa e ns).
S o y Cubes
Dices wi h di e en icons, which a e
ypically used o suppo he c ea ion o
s o ies. The s o y in u n can hen be used as
s a ing poin o de elop design ideas [I8,
I11], c . [33].
Can ases
S uc u ing o gami ica ion ideas in a
sys ema ic way. Can ases can help o
communica e ideas, iden i y weaknesses
and compa e app oaches [I5, I16, I17, I22]
(e.g. [8]).
Decision ees
Decision suppo and guidance o e.g. he
selec ion o game elemen s and mechanics
[I18], c . [28]
Bes p ac ice /
gami ica ion
pa e n
Bes p ac ice examples and eoccu ing
pa s in gami ica ion app oaches a e used as
s a ing poin s o he idea ion [I14, I22,
I24], c . [6, 16, 17, 27, 39].
3.4.
Design o p o o ypes
A e collec ing ideas, conc e e gami ica ion de-
signs can be de eloped. This s ep is s ongly ela ed o
he idea ion phase and ocuses on he
elabo a ion o
e aluable and, he e o e, “playable” p o o ypes
. Bo h,
he li e a u e and in e iewees ecommend he apid
de elopmen o p o o ypes, e.g. in o m o pape
p o o ypes, ske ches o wi e ames [7, 18, 22, I7, I8,
I14, I19, I21, I22] o
i e a i ely
es he success o a
design idea. In gene al, se e al sou ces highligh ha
success ul gami ica ion app oaches a ise om an
in eg a i e design p ocess (Table 2), in which ideas

1303
and designs a e
equen ly es ed and imp o ed
un il
hey seem o be e icien and p omising o each he
p e iously de ined goals [5, 7, 28]. The li e a u e [10,
36] and 3 expe s [I3, I17, I22] sugges o c ea e a
de elopmen concep
as ou come o his phase (Figu e
4). This concep con ains all ele an in o ma ion o
he implemen a ion. The in e iewees also epo ed
ha some imes a ansi ion is pe o med a he end o
his phase. In his case, he gami ica ion designe hands
he p ojec o e o a eam o de elope s [18]. Due o
he di e en ac i i ies in his phase, se e al expe s
men ioned ha he gami ica ion designe equi es
in e disciplina y skills, such as a p o ound unde s and-
ing o human mo i a ion, game design, business
p ocesses and in o ma ion sys em design (Table 2).
3.5.
Implemen a ion o a design
The majo i y o he me hods in he e iewed body
o li e a u e con ain an implemen a ion phase. Howe -
e , li le in o ma ion abou he de ails o i s con en a e
ou lined. I can be summa ized ha he pu pose and
ou come o his phase a e he de elopmen o a
pilo
,
which can be used o ield e alua ion o he gami ica-
ion design [10, I15, I22, I24]. Se e al au ho s desc ibe
he implemen a ion as a con inua ion o he p o o yping
[5, 7, 10] and ecommend an i e a i e p ocedu e in
de elopmen cycles [22, 39].
Con inued use and play
es ing
a e each cycle is ecommended o e alua e
and op imize he designed mechanics. The in e iews
sugges ha he conc e e p oceeding wi hin his phase
is de e mined by he decision (A) o
de elop he
gami ica ion app oach wi h an own eam;
(B)
o use
ex e nal de elope s
o (C)
o adap he design o an
exis ing gami ica ion pla o m.
Mos expe s epo ed
ha hey usually build gami ica ion solu ions wi hin
hei own eam. Some epo ed ha hey use ex e nal
de elope s [I10, I17, I21, I22] o de elope s o a clien
[I10, I13, I14, I17, I21, I22]. A ew imes, he
use o
a ailable gami ica ion pla o ms was men ioned
([I22],
c . [18, 22]). An in e iewee emphasized he im-
po ance o he p ojec managemen and ecommended
he in ol emen o he gami ica ion expe s wi hin he
de elopmen p ocess [I14]. When de elope s ha e no
expe ience wi h he de elopmen o gami ica ion
pla o ms, hey should be ained, o example owa ds
he o en e en -d i en a chi ec u e o a gami ica ion
sys em [I19].
Figu e 5. Ac i i ies o he implemen a ion phase
3.6.
E alua ion
Aim o he e alua ion phase is o in es iga e,
whe he he de eloped gami ica ion solu ion mee s he
de ined objec i es. Se e al app oaches o e alua e a
gami ica ion design can be ound in he li e a u e.
These ange om quan i a i e o quali a i e app oach-
es [10, 11, 16, 24, 36]. The in e iewed expe s
epo ed ha hey ypically conduc in e iews [I9, I12,
I19, I21, I22, I25], su eys [I1, I22, I25], impac
s udies [I19] o A/B- es ing [I18, I23]. Mo eo e ,
play es ing was one o he mos men ioned e alua ion
me hods. Play es ing e e s o he obse a ion o use s
while unde aking a ask in a game [7, 10]. Se e al
expe s ha e highligh ed ha obse ing use beha io
is mo e e ec i e han in e iewing, as use s o en ha e
p oblems o desc ibe expe iences e bally [I7, I11, I18,
I21]. Fu he e alua ion echniques can be ound in he
li e a u e. An example is he use o a se ice quali y
model o measu e he e ec i eness o a gami ica ion
app oach [11]. The su eyed expe s s essed ha in
commissioned wo k he e alua ion is o en done in a
lean manne o omi ed al oge he , since o en no
budge is se aside o he e alua ion phase [I15-I17,
I21, I22]. In hese cases, he pilo is jus launched.
Figu e 6. Ac i i y o he e alua ion phase
3.7.
Moni o ing
Whe eas some a icles see gami ica ion as a (ne e
ending) i e a i e p ocess o design, de elopmen ,
e alua ion, moni o ing and adap ion [33], he e iewed
s udies and p ac ical guidelines ha e la gely omi ed
his aspec . Mos simply ecommend a
launch and
pos -launch moni o ing
(see [7] o an o e iew). The
in e iews indica e ha p ac i ione s o en see
Figu e 4. Ac i i ies o he design phase
1304
gami ica ion p ojec s as classical so wa e p ojec s
wi h a clea s a and end [I17]. The e o e, moni o ing
and managemen is o en no planed and budge ed in
p ac ice [I12, I14, I15, I21]. Howe e , mo e han hal
o he expe s emphasize ha gami ica ion p ojec s
should no be conside ed as ypical de e minis ic
so wa e p ojec s. “A success ul gami ica ion p ojec
should ne e end, because i will become pa o how
he o ganiza ion wo ks” [I3]. Mos expe s ecommend
a moni o ing phase; in which he sys em usage is
in es iga ed in egula in e als. The collec ed da a is
used o e alua e he implemen ed game mechanics, o
iden i y i egula i ies and o check whe he he desi ed
use beha io is achie ed. Based on he ga he ed
insigh s, mechanics, ules and con en s should be
balanced and weaked in o de o keep he sys em
engaging and o adap i o changing objec i es. A
ypical ou come o his phase is a
lis o imp o emen s
(e.g. adap ion o pa ame e s in he implemen ed game
mechanics [I4, I21] o a plan o a new elease [I2,
I14]). Fu he mo e, he use o A/B- es ing has been
men ioned as an app oach ha con inuously op imizes
pa ame e s o gami ica ion ea u es [I11, I19].
Figu e 7. Ac i i ies o he moni o ing phase
3.8.
Requi emen s o gami ica ion p ojec s
Wi h he aim o p o ide a comp ehensi e iew, we
ga he ed and summa ized all essen ial equi emen s o
success ul gami ica ion p ojec s as a esul o ou
li e a u e analysis. We also asked expe s o he mos
impo an equi emen s. We agg ega ed he da a and
compa ed he heo e ical iew wi h he li ed expe i-
ence (Table 2). We summa ized hem in o se en mos
impo an equi emen s o designing gami ica ion.
Fi s
, i could be concluded ha a p o ound unde -
s anding o use s, hei mo i a ion and needs, as well
as o con ex cha ac e is ics a e undamen al equi e-
men s o gami ica ion p ojec s. The in e iews
showed ha he expe s ypically ecommend o ocus
on use needs ins ead o business goals in he o e all
design p ocess. The expe s also men ioned use
in ol emen in he idea ion and design phase as
equi emen .
Second
, he li e a u e and in e iews
highligh ha he objec i es o a gami ica ion p ojec
should be de ined clea ly. Clea p ojec goals a e
essen ial (1) o guide he o e all p ojec , (2) o e alua e
he success o a gami ica ion app oach and (3) o be
able o assess, whe he gami ica ion can be used o
achie e he desi ed objec i e. (2) and (3) we e also
equen ly men ioned as equi emen s o gami ica ion
p ojec s in he in e iews.
Thi d
, nea ly hal o ou
sou ces ecommend o es gami ica ion ideas as ea ly
as possible. In his con ex , an i e a i e idea ion and
design p ocess wi h egula use es s was o en
men ioned as addi ional condi ion o success ul
gami ica ion p ojec s.
Fou h
, gami ica ion should be
pe cei ed holis ically wi hou alling in o he pi all o
using simplis ic gami ica ion mechanics, such as
poin s, badges o leade boa ds. Especially he in e -
iews canonically highligh ed ha gami ica ion
designe s need p o ound knowledge in game /
gami ica ion design and human mo i a ion. The
models ound in he li e a u e a e a help ul s a , bu
he expe s emphasize ha hese amewo ks canno
eplace he knowledge, c ea i i y and expe ience ha is
needed o design solid gami ica ion app oaches. The
li e a u e men ions his poin o en no explici ly, bu
p o ides mani old in oduc ions o mo i a ion heo ies
and game design (“ hinking” [17, 39]).
Fi h
, he
in e iews indica e ha gami ica ion p ojec s ail due
o a lack o unde s anding among key s akeholde s.
The li e a u e highligh s ha p ojec s ail i legal and
e hical cons ain s a e no conside ed in he design
phase.
Six h
, he li e a u e ecommends o con ol and
cu b o chea ing/gaming he sys em. Mo eo e , we
ound ha possibili ies o chea ing can e e se he
e ec s o gami ica ion and discou age use s. Howe e ,
some expe s epo ed ha chea ing can help o be e
unde s and he use s and o op imize gami ica ion
designs.
Se en h
, he li e a u e ecommends con inuous
moni o ing and op imiza ion o gami ica ion p ojec s
as a p e equisi e o long- e m success. The in e iews
showed ha in p ac ice gami ica ion p ojec s a e o en
planed wi h a small budge and limi ed ime ame. In
hese cases, p ac i ione s ypically ocus on he
idea ion, design and de elopmen phases. E alua ion
and moni o ing a e o en neglec ed. Some expe s
no ed ha , he e o e, some imes gami ica ion p ojec s
ail and miss he objec i es. All equi emen s o m he
ounda ion o success ul gami ica ion and a e di ec ly
inco po a ed in o he de elopmen o he me hod
desc ibed abo e.
4. E alua ion o he me hod
Finally, we e alua ed he de eloped gami ica ion
me hod ia expe in e iews [31]. All 25 expe s had
been in i ed o pa icipa e in a second e alua ion
in e iew. While wel e expe s ini ially ag eed o
pa icipa e and e alua e ou esul s, we ecei ed wo
las -minu e cancella ions. Hence, we conduc ed en
1305
Table 2. Requi emen s o gami ica ion p ojec s
Requi emen s
Li e a u e
%
In e iews
%
1. Unde s and he use needs, mo i a ion and beha io , as
well as he cha ac e is ics o he con ex
5; 6; 7; 8; 10; 11; 17;
27; 33; 34; 36; 37; 39
72
I2; I3; I4; I6; I7; I9; I11;
I13; I14; I16-I20; I21-I25
76
2. Iden i y p ojec objec i es and de ine hem clea ly
5; 6; 10; 11; 17; 22; 24;
27; 33; 34; 37; 39
67
I3; I8; I11; I13; I16; I19;
I21; I22; I24; I25
40
3. Tes gami ica ion design ideas as ea ly as possible
5; 6; 7; 17; 22; 33; 36;
37; 39
50
I1; I3; I4; I9; I11; I14;
I18; I19; I22; I24
40
4. Follow an i e a i e design p ocess
6; 7; 10; 22; 27; 28; 33;
36; 39
50
I2; I9; I10; I11; I17; I22;
I18; I19
32
5. P o ound knowledge in game-design and human
psychology
16; 18
11
I1-I4; I6; I9-I16; I18; I20-
I22; I25
72
6. Assess i gami ica ion is he igh choice o achie e he
objec i es
6; 10; 16; 17; 34; 39
33
I1; I10; I13; I14
I17; I19; I22; I25
32
7. S akeholde s and o ganiza ions mus unde s and and
suppo gami ica ion
6; 17
11
I2; I3; I9; I10; I12; I13;
I15-I17; I18; I24; I25
48
8. Focus on use needs du ing he idea ion phase
6; 11; 17; 27; 33; 39
33
I6; I11; I16; I18; I22; I25
24
9. De ine and use me ics o he e alua ion and moni o ing
o he success o a gami ica ion app oach
6; 7; 10; 11; 17; 27; 33;
37; 39
50
-
0
10. Con ol o chea ing / gaming- he-sys em
6; 10; 17; 25; 27; 34;
37; 39
44
-
0
11. Manage and moni o o con inuously op imize he
gami ica ion design
6; 7; 17; 27; 33; 34; 36
39
I19
4
12. Conside legal and e hical cons ain s in he design phase
10; 17; 27; 39
22
-
0
13. In ol e use s in he idea ion and design phase
-
0
I1; I4; I11; I19; I22
20
% ela i e p opo ion o he numbe o conside ed sou ces wi hin he li e a u e o he in e iews
semi-s uc u ed in e iews [E1-E10]. Each in e iew
con ained bo h, a su ey o e alua e he model in
gene al, as well as an open po ion o e alua e speci ic
pa s o he model. Following [23], we ocused he
e alua ion on he seman ic quali y ( easible comple e-
ness and alidi y), on he p agma ic quali y ( easible
comp ehension and unde s andabili y) and las ly on he
p ac ical u ili y.
All in e iew pa ne s s a ed ha he model is un-
de s andable and also p esen ed in a eadable o ma .
Howe e , o i s applica ion i was highligh ed ha a
undamen al unde s anding o gami ica ion is equi ed
be o ehand [E4, E9]. 9 o 10 in e iew pa ne s ag eed
o s ongly ag eed ha he me hod is comple e and
con ain all ele an s eps. Two expe s ha e c i icized
ha he model p o ides li le assis ance o he choice
o gami ica ion elemen s [E4, E9]. Howe e , as he
majo i y o he in e iews showed ha in p ac ice
gami ica ion is a c ea i e and i e a i e design p ocess,
we assume ha he use o amewo ks ha de ine s ic
guidelines o he use o gami ica ion building blocks
may ha m needed c ea i i y. Addi ionally, we added an
o e iew o echniques, ools and amewo ks ha may
suppo he idea ion (Table1). Fu he mo e, some small
ecommenda ions o imp o e he model ha e been
collec ed. These include he commen ha he use
jou ney should be in eg a ed in o de o in i e design-
e s o hink abou long- e m engagemen [E8], he
aspec ha p oblems in he implemen a ion can lead o
a new design phase [E2] o ha he budge should be
conside ed du ing he idea ion phase [E4]. 9 ou o 10
ag eed ha a p ojec would p obably be success ul
using ou p ocess (assuming ha i was execu ed
co ec ly). In gene al, he model go posi i e eedback
wi h some in e iew pa ne s e en saying ha hey
would like o y he model in hei wo k o e lec hei
model wi h ou esul s [E2, E6, E7]. The esul s o he
e alua ion we e included in ou inal model, which is
a ailable as download a
gami ica ion- esea ch.o g
.
Mos in e iewees ag eed wi h he iden i ied e-
qui emen s in Table 2. The i e a i e design p ocess
a oused he mos discussions. Gene ally, he expe s
ag eed ha design and de elopmen should be
i e a i e, bu commissioned wo k does no always
allow an i e a i e p ocedu e [E8, E10]. [E10] ecom-
mended o no i e a e and es o ea ly, as gami ica ion
o en needs a ce ain ma u i y in o de o ge solid
esul s. Rega ding he assessmen whe he gami ica ion
is he igh choice, [E4] a gued ha his has o be
decided be o e he p ojec s a s. O he s sha ed he
opinion ha gami ica ion can be applied almos always
[E2]. The c ea i i y o he designe c ea es he bo de s.
1306
5. Discussion o he esea ch indings
The e iew and in e iews shed no el insigh s in o
he o e all na u e o he gami ica ion de elopmen and
design discou se in bo h, academia and p ac ice. We
ound in e es ing di e ences and o e laps be ween
p e iously published me hods o designing gami ica-
ion and he ac ual p ac ice o companies a emp ing o
gami y.
Fi s
, nea ly all o he expe s and e iewed
gami ica ion me hod ela ed pieces o li e a u e
unanimously ag eed ha gami ica ion design should
ollow an i e a i e, use -cen e ed design p ocess wi h
high deg ee o use in ol emen as well as ea ly es ing
o design ideas [6, 7, 10, 22, 27, 28, 33, 36, 39]. While
i e a i e and use -cen ic design a e ha dly no el
app oaches in so wa e de elopmen , ou da a is
canonical abou he c ucialness o hese app oaches
since gami ica ion applica ions a e exceedingly
complex in o ma ion sys ems. Gami ica ion equi es
holis ic in o ma ion sys em design; aking in o accoun
no only he s ella echnical aspec s bu also he
mani old and mul idimensional aspec s o use
psychology and engagemen [7, 20].
Second
, we
iden i ied ha se e al me hods in p e iously published
li e a u e a e no de ailed enough o p o ide su icien
p ac ical guidance (e.g. [5, 11, 16]). Mos expe s
epo ed ha hey no ollow a published me hod since
mos me hods canno comple ely co e he complexi y
ha esul s om he na u e o human mo i a ion and
he a ious applica ion a eas o gami ica ion [15, 20].
Some expe s ha e e en no ed ha cu en me hods a e
limi ing he c ea i i y and he possible design space i
ollowed s ic ly. Howe e , he expe s gene ally ag ee
ha amewo ks, which o e guidelines o he
iden i ica ion and alloca ion o gami ica ion building
blocks on di e en use cha ac e is ics (e.g. [27, 33,
39]), can pa ially use ul o de eloping gami ica ion
designs and o suppo he idea ion.
Thi d
, we ound
di e ences in he design p ocess be ween he e iew
and he in e iews. We iden i ied ha due o he
complexi y, he selec ion o game-design elemen s and
game mechanics is o en mo e c ea i e and b ains o m-
ing based in p ac ice, han i is desc ibed in cu en
li e a u e [7] (e.g. [11, 16, 24, 27, 28, 39]). P e iously
published me hods o en lack a de ailed desc ip ion o
he c ea i e idea ion and design phase [5, 11, 24, 27].
The e o e, we ha e included he idea ion phase in ou
me hod and collec ed a se o ools and amewo ks
ha ha e been employed in p ac ice and may help in
eme gence o gami ica ion ideas and designs (Table 1).
6. Conclusion
In his pape we sough o ad ance he unde s and-
ing o bes p ac ices ela ed o he gami ica ion design
p ocess. We ackled his esea ch p oblem ia a design
science esea ch app oach; i s ly, by syn hesizing he
cu en body o li e a u e on gami ica ion design
me hods and in e iewing 25 gami ica ion expe s.
Secondly, we de eloped a me hod o gami ica ion
design and de i ed equi emen s o success ul
gami ica ion p ojec s based on he ga he ed da a. The
e alua ion o he de eloped gami ica ion me hod,
unde aken by 10 gami ica ion expe s indica ed ha
he de eloped me hod is comp ehensi e, comple e and
p o ides p ac ical u ili y. Se e al p ac i ione s epo ed
ha hey would y he me hod in hei p ojec s.
7. Re e ences
[1] J. A as uo i, M. Bobe g, J. Holopainen, H.
Ko honen, A. Luce o, and M. Mon ola, "Applying he
PLEX amewo k in designing o play ulness", In
P oceedings o he 2011 Con e ence on DPPI, 2011,
Milano, IT, ACM P ess.
[2] R. Ba le, "Hea s, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades:
Playe s who sui MUDs", Jou nal o MUD Resea ch,
h p://www.mud.co.uk/ icha d/hcds.h m, 1996.
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