"How to Evaluate Gamified Design" by Ken Lynch, Co-founder and CEO, Reciprocitynow.com
What’s the difference between good and bad gamified design? And what is the difference between developing a game mechanic vs. normal feature development? If you’re evaluating a gamified application or the companies who make them, join Ken in a discussion, and learn from his personal experience in gamified development.
Streamlining Python Development: A Guide to a Modern Project Setup
"How to Evaluate Gamified Design" by Ken Lynch
1. Evaluating Gamified Design
Of progress bars and trophies
Ken Lynch, CEO
reciprocitynow.com Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
2. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
Separating the good from the bad
If gamification designers are
kings
2
3. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
Separating the good from the bad
If gamification designers are
kings, you are the king makers.
3
4. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
Where to start?
Ask 20 questions?
4
5. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
Where to start?
Ask 20 questions?
But there are rule breakers,
and bad implementations
5
6. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
Using a framework
To start: know your users
6
7. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
There are 4 kinds of of people
Bartle’s Player Types:
1. Killer’s
2. Achievers
3. Socializers
4. Explorers
7
8. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
Let’s simplify the model
3 user types
8
9. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
There are 3 kinds of people
1. Geeks – 3%
2. Leaders – 15%
3. Followers – 82%
9
10. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
Same as Geoffrey Moore’s User Model
Leaders Follower
s
Geeks
10
11. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
Let’s simplify the model even more
2 user types
11
12. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
There are only 2 kinds of people
1. People who are
attracted.
2. People who are
compelled.
12
13. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
2 types of motivations (game mechanics)
1. Win a trophy
1. Finish a progress
bar
13
14. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
Combine these 2 mechanics – the game loop
14
15. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
My gamification startup story
From Currency
Geek…
15
16. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
My gamification startup story
From Currency
Geek…
16
17. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
My gamification startup story
From Currency
Geek…
17
18. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
My gamification startup story
From Currency
Geek…
to Gamification
Leader
18
19. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
Lesson from a Game Designer
1. Create it
Marcus Gosling
(game designer)
19
20. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
Lesson from a Game Designer
1. Create it
2. Tweak it
Marcus Gosling
(game designer)
20
21. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
Lesson from a Game Designer
1. Create it
2. Tweak it
3. Tweak it again
Marcus Gosling
(game designer)
21
22. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
Lesson from a Game Designer
1. Create it
2. Tweak it
3. Tweak it again
4. You will get it right!
Marcus Gosling
(game designer)
22
23. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
Lesson from a Game Designer
1. Create it
2. Tweak it
3. Tweak it again
4. You will get it right!
5. … by the 10th time! Marcus Gosling
(game designer)
23
24. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
The 1st design is probably a bad design.
24
25. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
Solution: ITERATE! ITERATE! ITERATE! ITERATE! ITERATE!
25
26. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
Solution: ITERATE! ITERATE! ITERATE! ITERATE! ITERATE!
26
27. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
Solution: ITERATE! ITERATE! ITERATE! ITERATE! ITERATE!
27
28. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
Solution: ITERATE! ITERATE! ITERATE! ITERATE! ITERATE!
28
29. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
Both have:
•Goals
•Metrics
29
36. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
Metrics
Use analytics
36
37. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
How to gamify your app?
37
38. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
How to gamify your app?
Share your goals and metrics with your users
38
39. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
Judge game design
• User frameworks
• Goals and metrics
• Iterate
BE A GAMIFICATION KING MAKER!
39
40. How do you evaluate
gamified design?
Ken Lynch, CEO
reciprocitynow.com Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
41. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
List of goals/metrics questions to ask:
• How is gamification the same as a startup?
• A bad design that you implemented (what was the fix?).
• How can you tell what to change in your design?
• What is your gamification compass?
• When should you not gamify?
41
43. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
What questions to ask the Design Kings?
1. Does it have negative feedback?
2. Are the feedback loops short?
3. What if you take away the points/levels/badges?
4. Is it time-boxed for the user?
5. What are the intrinsic rewards?
6. “I join” buttons or just get assigned?
7. Does it need a critical mass of people already?
8. Does it rely on a critical mass of FRIENDS?
9. What game mechanics don’t feel like game
mechanics? 43
44. Reciprocity
Engage Your Team
But there are Rule breakers, bad implantations
Example: lazy registration. For IMVU, it wasn’t
needed.
44
Notes de l'éditeur
Enterprise Social Media is looking for the next big thing to engage employees. Reciprocity developed an economic currency system to manage employee behavior in Enterprise Social media. Reciprocity has a focused solution, with customer traction.
The point of this preso is to give you a tool to help think about how to evaluate gamified design, and the process of gamified designers, startups etc.It’s for biz dev types who need to hire badge-ville or amyjokimIts for VCs who need a simple mental model of how to think about gamification design.A better talk than what gabe can give you.
The point of this preso is to give you a tool to help think about how to evaluate gamified design, and the process of gamified designers, startups etc.It’s for biz dev types who need to hire badge-ville or amyjokimIts for VCs who need a simple mental model of how to think about gamification design.A better talk than what gabe can give you.
The point of this preso is to give you a tool to help think about how to evaluate gamified design, and the process of gamified designers, startups etc.It’s for biz dev types who need to hire badge-ville or amyjokimIts for VCs who need a simple mental model of how to think about gamification design.A better talk than what gabe can give you.Does it have negative feedback?Are the feedback loops short?What if you take away the points/levels/badges?Is it time-boxed for the user?What are the intrinsic rewards?“I join” buttons or just get assigned?Does it need a critical mass of people already?Does it rely on a critical mass of FRIENDS?What game mechanics don’t feel like game mechanics?
The point of this preso is to give you a tool to help think about how to evaluate gamified design, and the process of gamified designers, startups etc.It’s for biz dev types who need to hire badge-ville or amyjokimIts for VCs who need a simple mental model of how to think about gamification design.A better talk than what gabe can give you.Does it have negative feedback?Are the feedback loops short?What if you take away the points/levels/badges?Is it time-boxed for the user?What are the intrinsic rewards?“I join” buttons or just get assigned?Does it need a critical mass of people already?Does it rely on a critical mass of FRIENDS?What game mechanics don’t feel like game mechanics?
Gabe does it. (I’m guessing that amyjokim does as well)
Where to start? Gabe Zichermann’s 2nd exercise is “what is your player type”.Great model:Killers like to hunt ( sales people and QA people) Achievers like trophies.Socializers like friends, care about what others are doing. explorers like new things.* Explore -> Achiever/killer -> socializer pattern.
But there are other simpler models. I want to journey to a simpler world, that’s easier to apply.Types:Geeks – love stuff - # tagsAll the lithium communities that michealwu has shown me – 3% engagement of people liking/posting materials. leaders – love stuff, but only in relation to others. They follow # tags, but create @ tags followers – follow @ tags. They want to do what their friends do.You are probably a Leader
Geoffrey moore – adoption curve. Geeks -> leaders -> followers.Got to think about getting your system off the ground.Who is it useful for.
Physics of motivation – basis for evaluating the chemistry of gamification
Sales trophyList of bugs to smash.Can combine both of these things
Sales trophyList of bugs to smash.Can combine both of these thingsFinishing a list of bugs to get a brand new software release
How useful is this simplified model?Let me tell you my story:I was a currency architect 2 two years ago, on a quest to figure out how to motivate people around common goals.Carbon coinsMaking these coins virtual, started hanging out with game architects, and fell into the world of game mechanics.Met people at imvu:Marcus: Game Designer (drew the cover on “lean startup” by ericries)Spending days talking about game design, how to motivate people outside of games (what we now call gamification.The 1 lesson that I learned from Marcus.
How useful is this simplified model?Let me tell you my story:I was a currency architect 2 two years ago, on a quest to figure out how to motivate people around common goals.Carbon coinsMaking these coins virtual, started hanging out with game architects, and fell into the world of game mechanics.Met people at imvu:Marcus: Game Designer (drew the cover on “lean startup” by ericries)Spending days talking about game design, how to motivate people outside of games (what we now call gamification.The 1 lesson that I learned from Marcus.
How useful is this simplified model?Let me tell you my story:I was a currency architect 2 two years ago, on a quest to figure out how to motivate people around common goals.Carbon coinsMaking these coins virtual, started hanging out with game architects, and fell into the world of game mechanics.Met people at imvu:Marcus: Game Designer (drew the cover on “lean startup” by ericries)Spending days talking about game design, how to motivate people outside of games (what we now call gamification.The 1 lesson that I learned from Marcus.
How useful is this simplified model?Let me tell you my story:I was a currency architect 2 two years ago, on a quest to figure out how to motivate people around common goals.Carbon coinsMaking these coins virtual, started hanging out with game architects, and fell into the world of game mechanics.Met people at imvu:Marcus: Game Designer (drew the cover on “lean startup” by ericries)Spending days talking about game design, how to motivate people outside of games (what we now call gamification.The 1 lesson that I learned from Marcus.
How useful is this simplified model?Let me tell you my story:I was a currency architect 2 two years ago, on a quest to figure out how to motivate people around common goals.Carbon coinsMaking these coins virtual, started hanging out with game architects, and fell into the world of game mechanics.Met people at imvu:Marcus: Game Designer (drew the cover on “lean startup” by ericries)Spending days talking about game design, how to motivate people outside of games (what we now call gamification.The 1 lesson that I learned from Marcus.
How useful is this simplified model?Let me tell you my story:I was a currency architect 2 two years ago, on a quest to figure out how to motivate people around common goals.Carbon coinsMaking these coins virtual, started hanging out with game architects, and fell into the world of game mechanics.Met people at imvu:Marcus: Game Designer (drew the cover on “lean startup” by ericries)Spending days talking about game design, how to motivate people outside of games (what we now call gamification.The 1 lesson that I learned from Marcus.
How useful is this simplified model?Let me tell you my story:I was a currency architect 2 two years ago, on a quest to figure out how to motivate people around common goals.Carbon coinsMaking these coins virtual, started hanging out with game architects, and fell into the world of game mechanics.Met people at imvu:Marcus: Game Designer (drew the cover on “lean startup” by ericries)Spending days talking about game design, how to motivate people outside of games (what we now call gamification.The 1 lesson that I learned from Marcus.
How useful is this simplified model?Let me tell you my story:I was a currency architect 2 two years ago, on a quest to figure out how to motivate people around common goals.Carbon coinsMaking these coins virtual, started hanging out with game architects, and fell into the world of game mechanics.Met people at imvu:Marcus: Game Designer (drew the cover on “lean startup” by ericries)Spending days talking about game design, how to motivate people outside of games (what we now call gamification.The 1 lesson that I learned from Marcus.
How useful is this simplified model?Let me tell you my story:I was a currency architect 2 two years ago, on a quest to figure out how to motivate people around common goals.Carbon coinsMaking these coins virtual, started hanging out with game architects, and fell into the world of game mechanics.Met people at imvu:Marcus: Game Designer (drew the cover on “lean startup” by ericries)Spending days talking about game design, how to motivate people outside of games (what we now call gamification.The 1 lesson that I learned from Marcus.
Oh no! This is the bad news that I have to tell you about getting started in gamification:Don’t despairit’s hardYou’re not going to get it rightThere’s so much nuance
Startups are gamified companies.You can get it right, as long as you keep trying new thingsKeep making small tweaks.And if the small tweaks don’t work, pivot your design and make some larger changes.Reis talks about learning fastMarcus’s drawing
Startups are gamified companies.You can get it right, as long as you keep trying new thingsKeep making small tweaks.And if the small tweaks don’t work, pivot your design and make some larger changes.Reis talks about learning fastMarcus’s drawing
Startups are gamified companies.You can get it right, as long as you keep trying new thingsKeep making small tweaks.And if the small tweaks don’t work, pivot your design and make some larger changes.Reis talks about learning fastMarcus’s drawing
Startups are gamified companies.You can get it right, as long as you keep trying new thingsKeep making small tweaks.And if the small tweaks don’t work, pivot your design and make some larger changes.Reis talks about learning fastMarcus’s drawing
Trophies and progress bars, for the attracted and compelled.
Pink – purpose
And a/b testingAnd do user testingBring the first few customers into the usability lab
And a/b testingAnd do user testingBring the first few customers into the usability lab
And a/b testingAnd do user testingBring the first few customers into the usability lab
And a/b testingAnd do user testingBring the first few customers into the usability lab
Remember a simple view of users (better yet, use all the models)Gamifying is like turning your app into a lean startupKnow your audience, and your users (use 4, 3, or 2 user type models)Use goals and metrics in deving your appshare
Enterprise Social Media is looking for the next big thing to engage employees. Reciprocity developed an economic currency system to manage employee behavior in Enterprise Social media. Reciprocity has a focused solution, with customer traction.
How is gamification the same as a startup? Measuring goalsTell me a bad design that you implemented (what was the fix?). They must have iteratedHow can you tell what to change? a/b test itWhat is your gamification compass? Pink (the goal), Pincus (the metric).When should you not gamify? Something that has no real goal.
Negative feedback: opower used to have frownie faces, now they don’t, they only have smiles when you are doing better.Employee and customer feedback: negative feedback is private, you have to ask for the feedback (people will stop playing)Short loops – instant gratification of knowing where you stand – not annual loops, but weekly loops (or even better, instant loops)Cant put lipstick on a pig – gamification can make people do things that they already want to do anyhow (socialize, or be a winner, master a topic, etc)People burn out, and nothing is forever. A competition that lasts forever is not going to get as much traction as a game that lasts for 1 month. Termination conditionMoney and other easy rewards don’t last (daniel pink), feedback on mastery, recognition, gameplay itself (is it fun?), are all better.Mandatory vs voluntary.Are your social game mechanics DOA when you’re trying to get it off the ground?Do they care about the people who are there? People join systems where they see 5 of their friends.Inboxes, twitter, facebook (how orkut pushed too hard on leader boards, making everyone but brazil love it) is it too hard? how will it effect your reputation?