BISE – CATCHWORD

Gamification
Design of IT-Based Enhancing Services for Motivational Support
and Behavioral Change
DOI 10.1007/s12599-013-0273-5

tion, productivity, and behavior of users

The Authors This article is also available in Ger- (Deterding et al. 2011, pp. 10–12; Huotari
man in print and via http://www. and Hamari 2012, pp. 19–20).
wirtschaftsinformatik.de: Blohm I,
Dr. Ivo Blohm () Leimeister JM (2013) Gamification.
In the consumer sector, various suc-
Institute for Information cessful examples for gamification are
Gestaltung IT-basierter Zusatzdiens-
Management tleistungen zur Motivationsun- gaining recognition. In 2011, Sweden’s
University of St. Gallen terstützung und Verhaltensände- National Society for Road Safety and
Müller-Friedberg-Str. 8 rung. WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK. doi: Volkswagen hosted the Speed Camera
9000 St. Gallen 10.1007/s11576-013-0368-0. Lottery.2 This is a lottery in which car
Switzerland drivers participate automatically when
[email protected] © Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden they abide by the speed limit in a speed
2013 control. The prices of this lottery were
Prof. Dr. Jan Marco Leimeister
Chair for Information Systems financed by the speeding fines. Car-
Research Center for IS Design (ITeG) wings3 is a smartphone app for Nis-
University of Kassel san’s electric car Leaf that attempts to
Nora-Platiel-Straße 4 1 Gamification as Incentive encourage an ecological way of driving
34127 Kassel Mechanism in order to increase the limited range
Germany of the electric car. BahnScout 4 moti-
[email protected] NikeFuel is the fuel of the Nike+ com- vates passengers of Munich’s Metro to re-
and munity.1 A fuel that has made two mil- port damages at train stations. Telefon-
Institute for Information lion users burn more than 68 bn. calories ica MoviPill5 awards points and badges
Management and that proliferates with each kilometer.
University of St. Gallen for correctly taking medicine. Addition-
The athletic performance of Nike+ users ally, more and more successful business
Müller-Friedberg-Str. 8
is measured via sensors in Nike sports applications have started to develop. For
9000 St. Gallen
Switzerland shoes and an Apple iPod or iPhone, example, Level Eleven6 offers gamifica-
[email protected] documented on the Nike+platform and tion plug-ins for steering sales people in
converted into NikeFuel. In doing so, Salesforce.com.
Received: 2013-04-15 users may visualize their progress, com-
All these approaches do not repre-
Accepted: 2013-05-13 pare their performance with others, and
sent games in the proper meaning of
Accepted after one revision by obtain different status levels that reflect
the word. Instead, they make use of
Prof. Dr. Sinz. their athletic potential. For accomplish-
the possibilities of IT to develop incen-
Published online: 2013-06-14 ing particular milestones (e.g., 100 KM),
users receive badges that can be shared tive concepts, which continuously en-
in social networks, as successful activi- gage users in using products, services
ties in general, and be displayed in a vir- and information systems. According to
tual trophy cabinet. Using such IT-based Gartner (2012, p. 4), gamification re-
mechanisms, Nike has transformed en- flects a major trend that will play a
durance sports into a “game”. This ap- central role for CIOs and IT planners
proach derives from the domain of game in the near future. Already in 2015,
design and is called gamification – en- 40 % of the world’s largest 1,000 or-
riching products, services, and informa- ganizations are expected to apply gam-
tion systems with game-design elements ification for transforming their business
in order to positively influence motiva- operations.

1 http://nikeplus.nike.com/plus/.
2 http://www.thefuntheory.com/.
3 http://www.nissanusa.com/innovations/carwings.article.html.
4 http://www.bahnscout.de.
5 http://www.tid.es/es/Research/Paginas/TIDProjectProfile.aspx?Project=MoviPill.
6 http://leveleleven.com/.

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Fig. 1 Gamification as design approach

Table 1 Game-design
Game-design elements Motives
elements and motives
Game mechanics Game dynamics

Documentation of behavior Exploration Intellectual curiosity

Scoring systems, badges, trophies Collection Achievement
Rankings Competition Social recognition
Ranks, levels, reputation points Acquisition of status
Group tasks Collaboration Social exchange
Time pressure, tasks, quests Challenge Cognitive stimulation
Avatars, virtual worlds, virtual trade Development/organization Self-determination

2 Gamification in the Context vice or an information system) and an target system that is compatible with
of Previous Research IT-based, gamified enhancing service for individual user motives.
the core offer (Huotari and Hamari 2012,  Game-design elements: Game-design
Gamification is a persuasive technology pp. 19–20). The starting point for design- elements comprise game mechan-
that attempts to influence user behav- ing gamified enhancing services are the ics and game dynamics (Deterding
ior by activating individual motives via specific usage objectives for the core of- et al. 2011, pp. 11–12; Zichermann
game-design elements (Petkov et al. 2011, fer as defined by core office providers. For and Cunningham 2011, pp. 35–36).
p. 2). As a consequence, this approach instance, such usage objectives could be Game mechanics cover diverse build-
does not deal with designing games that derived from the analysis of historic user ing blocks for gamifying a core offer
can generally be defined as solving rule- behavior and may describe how core of- such as scoring systems or badges.
based artificial conflicts or simulations fer providers wish their core offer to be Game dynamics, however, describe
(Deterding et al. 2011, p. 11; McGoni- used in future. These objectives are trans- the effects of these mechanics on the
gal 2011, p. 21). Thus, gamification needs lated into appropriate game-design ele- subjective user experience over time
to be contrasted to related concepts such ments that are compiled into gamified (Huotari and Hamari 2012, p. 19)
as serious games and games with a pur- enhancing services. By creating a game- and correspond to specific user mo-
pose. Serious games reflect games that like usage experience, these enhancing tives. For instance, mechanics such as
are linked to a particular learning objec- services strive to activate individual user
rankings induce competitive dynamics
tive (Simões et al. 2013, pp. 345–346). motives regarding the core offer (Huotari
that relate user activities to a refer-
For instance, IBM Innov8 2.0 is a game and Hamari 2012, pp. 19–20) and conse-
ence group and should thus satisfy the
that aims at helping users experience the quently support its consumption. More-
pursuit for social recognition (Petkov
benefits of business process management. over, bundling core offer and enhanc-
ing services also requires the adaption of et al. 2011, pp. 3–5). Table 1 highlights
Games with a purpose reflect an ap-
proach in which problems that cannot the core offer to the enhancing service. the most important game-design el-
satisfactorily be solved with information Figure 1 summarizes these assertions. ements. However, according to their
systems are transformed, so that human  Usage objectives: The usage of prod-
specific design, single mechanics may
individuals can solve them in a game-like ucts, services and information systems cause different dynamics that might
fashion (Von Ahn 2006, p. 96). For ex- generally depends on a person’s mo- correspond to different motives.
ample, ARTigo7 is a game which was de- tives (Ryan and Deci 2000, pp. 54–55).  Gamified service bundles: Many game
veloped by the University of Munich. In Thus, the fundamental idea of gamifi- mechanics are not novel per se. Badges,
this game, two players compete in finding cation is to invoke particular behavior for instance, have a long military tra-
more tags for characterizing images from by activating individual user motives. dition (Zichermann and Cunningham
the digital archive of the Institute for Art This systematic intervention into ex- 2011, p. 56). Similarly, loyalty pro-
History than their opponent. isting usage patterns aims at influenc- grams have been used in marketing
By contrast, gamification encompasses ing users towards a priori defined ob- for decades. Many current frequent
the design of “gamified” service bundles jectives of a core offer provider. In do- flyer programs make use of game me-
(Leimeister 2012). These bundles com- ing so, gamification translates the ob- chanics such as credit point systems
prise of a core offer (a product, a ser- jectives of a core offer provider into a (e.g., air miles) or status levels (e.g.,

7 http://www.artigo.org.

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frequent flyer status). The innova- a community of peers and thus allows has been reached (McGonigal 2011,
tion about gamification is bundling for social exchange and/or competi- pp. 127–132). By designing tasks of
such game-design elements into com- tion. increasing difficulty, cognitive struc-
prehensive, IT-based and increasingly  Provision of meaning: Gamification tures for the internalization of learning
ubiquitous enhancing services. Such frequently allows users to participate contents may be systematically created
services not only offer benefits on their in resolving superordinate problems (Simões et al. 2013, p. 348).
own but also lead to a new cogni- that go beyond one’s personal possibil- Gamification supports and enables the
tive, emotional, and social usage ex- ities. transformation of organizational value
perience of the core offer (Lee and These mechanisms facilitate percep- creation processes. Today, gamification
Hammer 2011, pp. 3–4). In contrast tions of control, autonomy, and fun is most frequently applied in market-
to many frequent flyer programs, ap- that are central antecedents of flow ex- ing in order to improve customer loyalty
proaches such as Nike+ comprise an periences. Flow reinforces the volun- and brand image. However, current ap-
independent value proposition (train- tary use of gamified service bundles and plications in innovation (e.g., Smart De-
ing support) and create a completely increases both motivation and perfor-
new usage context for the core offer sign Contest 8 ), sales (e.g., LevelEleven),
mance of individuals (McGonigal 2011, after sales (e.g., freshdesk9 ), or leader-
“Nike sports shoes”. pp. 35–38). However, intrinsic motives ship processes (e.g., Work Simple10 ) de-
and flow can be systematically activated pict this approach’s potentials along the
by setting extrinsic incentives (Ryan and value chain. The support of learning pro-
3 Potentials and Application Deci 2000, pp. 63–65). Thus, incen-
of Gamification cesses is a second major application do-
tives such as badges do not only com-
main of gamification (Simões et al. 2013).
ply with the intrinsic motive of collect-
The potential of gamification is based on For instance, Microsoft motivates Of-
ing but also with the extrinsic motive of
comprehensive motivational support and fice users by means of Ribbon Hero11
gaining social recognition. As a conse-
on invoking flow experiences. Ryan and to learn to use new functionalities by
quence, gamification allows for the de-
Deci (2000, pp. 56–65) distinguish be- offering credit points and rewards that
sign of persuasive incentive mechanisms
tween intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. can be earned whilst using the Office
that go far beyond financial incentives.
Intrinsic motivation is directly rooted in Thus, gamification has a high poten- Software. Deloitte was able to signifi-
a given task, whereas extrinsic motivation cantly increase participation in its Lead-
tial for changing behavioral patterns and
always aims at external goals such as fi-
for supporting accompanying learning ership Academy12 by a gamification ap-
nancial compensation. Traditional incen- proach. Another application field com-
processes:
tive mechanisms are usually based on in- prises (social) welfare (Haller et al. 2011,
 Behavioral change: Gamification re-
creasing extrinsic motivation, i.e., intro- p. 104). This embraces, for instance, ap-
lates behavioral change to positive
ducing financial rewards. Such stimuli of- proaches for promoting personal well-
emotional feedback. In doing so, gam-
ten fail to increase motivation in the long being (e.g., HealthMonth13 ) or the pro-
run as adaptation effects undermine their ification may support the introduction
of new patterns of behavior as well tection of the environment (e.g., Google
effectiveness (McGonigal 2011, pp. 45–
as the modification of habitual behav- PowerMeter14 ). However, many organi-
48). However, IT-based gamified enhanc-
ior. Such behavioral patterns are usu- zations make use of such a position-
ing services are able to arouse the intrin-
ally unconscious and automatized so ing in order to enhance their own ap-
sic motivation of users regarding a core
offer (McGonigal 2011, pp. 52–115): that traditional incentive schemes fre- proaches with superordinate meaning
 Increase in user satisfaction: The con-
quently only exhibit a low effective- (‘Epic Meaning’).
tinuous documentation of one’s own ness. In providing positive emotions,
behavior visualizes progress, facilitates gamification may break up existing
the derivation of achievable personal habits, update them with new behav-
goals and offers immediate feedback iors and support the stabilization of 4 Implications for Information
so that users perceive feelings of high new behaviors by continuously setting Systems Research
individual performance. appropriate stimuli (Ortiz de Guinea
 Conveyance of optimism: Gamifica- and Markus 2009, pp. 438–441). Consumerization approaches such as
tion enables self-determination as well  Support of learning processes: Gam- gamification involve various organiza-
as experiencing a sense of achieve- ification decomposes tasks into vari- tional change processes and, thus, con-
ment, or more specifically the hope of ous subtasks and milestones. Users can front companies with great challenges
experiencing success. solve such subtasks by trial and error (Weis and Leimeister 2012). In the fol-
 Facilitation of social interaction: Gam- and repeat them until the problem has lowing, these challenges imposed by
ification is usually related to entering been solved and a particular skill level gamification are briefly outlined using

8 http://www.smart-design-contest.com/matching-game.
9 http://freshdesk.com/gamification-of-support-help-desk/.
10 http://getworksimple.com/
11 http://www.ribbonhero.com/.
12 http://www.deloitte.la/welcome/.
13 http://healthmonth.com/.
14 http://www.google.com/powermeter/about/.

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the business engineering framework of tion (Ryan and Deci 2000, p. 63). The de- Gartner (2012) Gamification: engagement
Österle and Winter (2003). On the level sign and adjustment of gamified service strategies for business and IT. Report
G00245563
of business strategy, gamified service bun- bundles is thus a complex task that ex- Haller J, Bullinger A, Möslein K (2011) Inno-
dles often require new business models ceeds applying simple point systems and vation contests. An IT-based tool for in-
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be designed in detail. Further, gamifica- ate design and fine-tuning. In the con- Proc 15th MindTrek conference, Tampere,
tion implies the transformation of exist- pp 17–22
text of accompanying leadership processes,
Lee JJ, Hammer J (2011) Gamification in edu-
ing and the design of new business pro- gamification allows the implementation cation: what, how, why bother? Academic
cesses in order to include customers or of an all-embracing change management. Exchance Quarterly 15(2):1–5
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instance, it could be possible that gam- In this regard, we need to clarify how break the habit of a lifetime? Rethinking
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core offer and lead to productivity losses mographic groups such as born digitals in continuing information technology use.
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