If you work in design for behavior change programs, you’ve undoubtedly had a client request “gamification” as a way to jazz up their deliverables. Unfortunately, there often isn’t a deep understanding of what gamification is, why it can be effective, and why it might not always be the right choice. In this presentation, I take a step back to consider “gamified design” and the psychology behind how it can more effectively engage users and help them change behaviors. I then focus specifically on badges, one of the more popular game elements that is increasingly used in digital experiences as diverse as the Starbucks app (commerce), Duolingo (education), and Fitbit (fitness). New badge applications are being introduced all the time, but many of them won’t achieve their intended goals of changing behaviors because they were not designed in concordance with the underlying psychology.
I provide a brief overview of self-determination theory, a unified theory of motivation that includes the universal psychological needs an engaging experience helps fulfill, and talk about how badges can fulfill each of these needs. Drawing on this theory as well as lessons from neuropsychology, universal design for learning, and behaviorism, I then talk about how badges can reinforce desired behaviors and discourage non-desired behaviors when applied thoughtfully. We look at common pitfalls in the application of badges in behavior change programs, and strategies to avoid those. Then we discuss best practices, rooted in psychology, for maximizing the efficacy of badges. Throughout, I’ll draw on case studies showing badges used well and poorly, highlighting the specific reasons why they work (or not). The content interweaves psychological theory and research with real-world examples to reinforce not just what works, but why.
7. Types of Motivation:
Self Determination Theory
AutonomousControlled
Long-term change
happens here!
Amotivated
I have no desire
to do this.
External
Someone told
me I have to
do this.
Introjected
I’ve internalized
the nagging:
Better do this.
Identified
Doing this will
help me achieve
goals I really
value.
Integrated
Doing this is part
of who I am.
Intrinsic
I love doing this;
it feels great!
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist,
55, 68-78.
8. Wrzesniewski, A., Schwartz, B., Cong, X., Kane, M., Omar, A., & Kolditz, T. (2014). Multiple types of motives don’t multiply the motivation of West Point cadets. Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences, 111(30), 10990-10995. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1405298111
Effects of Multiple Motives in the
Military
Mostly Intrinsic
Mostly Extrinsic
Mixed Motives
Outcomes:
• More likely to
become an officer
• More likely to be
considered for early
promotion
• More likely to stay
in the military after
mandatory service
Outcomes:
• Less likely to
become an officer
• Less likely to be
considered for early
promotion
• Less likely to stay in
the military after
mandatory service
9. “I can make my own meaningful
choices”
“I’m learning, growing, and
succeeding.”
“I’m part of something bigger than myself. I
belong.”
Autonomy
Competence
Relatedness
Motivation
The Levers of Motivation
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist,
55, 68-78.
11. Gamification The use of game
elements and game-
design techniques in
non-game contexts.
Werbach, K., & Hunter, D. (2012). For the Win: How Game Thinking Can Revolutionize Your Business. Wharton Digital Press.
16. • They show achievement
• They provide a sense of progress
• They communicate status to
others
• They help facilitate conversation
about shared or complementary
qualities
What Good Badges Do
(Psychologically)
17. • They show achievement
• They provide a sense of progress
• They communicate status to
others
• They help facilitate conversation
about shared or complementary
qualities
Competence
support
Relatedness
support
What Good Badges Do
(Psychologically)
29. We Game
the System
“One reported reason for ending these
badges is precisely what would be
predicted by self-determination
theory: users began to ‘game’ the
system, looking to circumvent the
health behavior simply to get the
badge.”
Rigby,C. S. (2015). “Gamification and motivation,” in S. P. Walz & S. Deterding (eds.), The GamefulWorld: Approaches, Issues, Applications. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
37. Defining Target Behaviors
New
behavior
Familiar
behavior
Increase
behavior
Decrease
behavior
Stop
behavior
One time Enroll in health
plan
Call doctor for
appointment
Sleep an extra
hour when sick
Limit liquids
the night
before a scan
Don’t eat
dessert tonight
Period of
time
Log symptoms
and triggers to
help with
diagnosis
Take
medication for
an acute
condition
Drink more
water during
hot weather
periods
Limit activity
while
recovering
from injury
Stop drinking
while on
antibiotics
From now
on
Check blood
sugar five or
more times a
day
Take
medication for
a chronic
condition
Get regular
exercise
Limit saturated
fats in diet
Quit smoking
Adapted from B.J. Fogg, Ph.D.
44. Tie Badges to
Meaningful
Rewards
“Hitting a milestone like walking 100.00 kilometers may be a
massive accomplishment for some people, but all they get is a
lousy badge in their trainer profile. Users who earn the most
badges are the most loyal players (or at least those who play
the most), so rewarding such milestones with items, Pokécoins,
or at very least experience points, seems like a no-brainer.”
-BrianTroyer
https://medium.com/mobile-lifestyle/https-medium-com-brianjtroyer-8-changes-that-would-improve-
pokemon-go-5476a9524bc8
55. The
Undermining
Effect
Murayama, K., Matsumoto, M., Izuma, K., & Matsumoto, K. (2010).
Neural basis of the undermining effect of monetary reward on
intrinsic motivation. Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences of the United States of America, 107(49), 20911–20916.
http://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1013305107
74. Best
Practices:
Badge With
Caution
1. Clearly define behavior goals and key
milestones
2. Use badges to encourage growth and
progress
3. Don’t try to over-reward
4. Make badges unpredictable (variable-
ratio schedule) for simple tasks; set
reliable expectations for higher effort
tasks
5. Connect badges to other motivational
sources
Talking points: Gamification is the application of game-elements to non-game experiences
It does NOT necessarily mean making an experience feel more game-like
At a high level, why do we even do this?
It makes something more engaging—games are fun, so bringing in game elements to something that is traditionally not fun has some appeal
Games hook us by feeding our fundamental psychological needs; the game features that get pulled out for gamification particularly so
Gamification may come to light through the addition of all kinds of game elements and mechanics. This is a partial list; if you’re interested in this type of exploration, there are sites that will step you through mechanics. One that does a nice job is this Gamified UK.
Digital badges have their fans
And we are also very comfortable with the idea of badges. There’s strong historical precedent for them.
This is a Pilgrim’s Badge, dating from around the year 1400. In medieval times, people would wear these pilgrim’s badges as a way to communicate their allegiances to particular political leaders or religious figures. Sometimes these badges, as the name suggests, told people that the bearer had completed a religious pilgrimage.
We give badges for all manner of actual accomplishments too—I run as a hobby, and one thing I’ve noticed since I started running in 2009 or so is that the races where I get badges have grown in number. It used to be you had to run a half or whole marathon to get one, or the Ragnar relay like the badge you see on top. Now I routinely get a badge for finishing a 5k.
We also see badges in the analog world to certify the quality of items. Here’s an example I saw just this week here in Toronto in a ladies’ room.
And now, in the last 8-10 years, we’ve started seeing more and more badges in the digital space. The example on the screen is from Foursquare, which was one of the first apps that made me aware of digital badges. But there are tons more examples, many of which you’ll see as we walk through how to apply the badge technique effectively.
This is one way to think about the outcomes you’re trying to drive with an intervention. Ultimately, your goals may include things like improving biometric stats, reducing medical utilization and costs, or providing an ROI for your customer. You can map out all of the sub-goals that lead you there, from your baseline risk level, to program participation, to actually making behavior change offline. We call participation a leading indicator because we can measure it very early in the process, much earlier than behavior change, and because if you’re way off on your participation metrics it’s unlikely you’ll achieve your ultimate goals. However, the problem is that because clicks are so easy to measure, it’s common to keep focusing on clicks at the expense of other more meaningful data.
Not meaningful to the target audience—e.g. potty training badges, or badges that would be totally separate from the experience of earning them
Unintended consequences If you’re not careful about defining the behavior you’re trying to change with badges, you may end up changing the wrong one. I already mentioned FourSquare’s fitness badges and how they were not actually causing people to get more physical activity. Another example comes from when India was under British Colonial rule. The British government was concerned about the number of poisonous snakes in Delhi and wanted to enlist the citizens to help eradicate them. So, they offered rewards for the dead snakes that people could bring to them. What do you think happened?
People began to breed snakes so that they would have a bigger population to kill and get rewarded for. The rewards for dead snakes actually ended up making the problem worse. That’s come to be known as the cobra effect, and it’s something we need to pay attention to when adding rewards or incentives to the programs we design.
If your badge is supposed to signify something meaningful such as an educational accomplishment, how do you verify that someone has actually achieved that?
Design your badges to build on each other.
TripAdvisor makes it easy to earn your first few badges, but they become progressively more difficult as your involvement with their site grows
This is where tiers like frequent flyer programs or Starbucks also work well—your status is tied to increasing levels of a behavior so there’s a natural progression
Calibrate the tiers, though—it gets ridiculous when you have something like Untapped where you can become level 900
Not significant enough for really big behavior changes—although you can break a big behavior into smaller components, at some point people will either want a bigger reward, or they will prefer no reward at all
Not significant enough for really big behavior changes—although you can break a big behavior into smaller components, at some point people will either want a bigger reward, or they will prefer no reward at all
If you reward too many badges, you can also render them meaningless.
Make like a slot machine: Variable-ratio schedules of reinforcement are the most sticky—they offer rewards at unpredictable intervals. [Story from Fiona]
Badges should be related to behavior, but not in a totally predictable way—if they are awarded at an intermittent rate but it’s not totally clear when they’re being awarded, that can help make them more attractive to people. Variable ratio schedules are best for simple, easy-to-perform behaviors such as check-ins, weigh-ins, and so forth. For more complex behaviors, a slot machine-type schedule may not bee enough to prompt the behavior.
A contrasting example would be these TripAdvisor badges, where the criteria for earning them is explicitly spelled out. Writing a TripAdvisor review isn’t hard, but it does take a little bit of time and effort. It’s not the same sort of rapid-fire behavior you see in a casino. As a result, that variable ratio reinforcement schedule may be less effective. Here, setting a quid pro quo makes more sense.
Relatedness. Badges that help people build a social network or signify something important about them (e.g. the scientist badges)
Competence. Class Badges may help students engage with material by giving teachers the latitude to reward for non-traditional achievements, gives students with different learning styles and aptitudes a chance to build a sense of competence
Autonomy. Badges provide a shorthand to express your values and authentic self to others. Badges for Vets gives military veterans an easy way to visually communicate their job skills earned through service to prospective employers. In the case of academic publication badges, they signal to other researchers what types of work you do and what styles of collaboration you value.
Using badges can be effective, but they need to be applied with a deft touch. Badges should only be used when you have a clear definition of the behaviors you want to reward, and they should be aligned with repeating those desired behaviors. Badges will be more effective if they don’t overcompensate for achievement, but rather reward it in an unpredictable, growth-oriented fashion. Finally, if badges can be used to draw in other motivational sources, they will be more effective.