The Gamification of Smart Devices: Some Preliminary Thoughts on Concepts and Constructs

THE GAMIFICATION OF SMART DEVICES: SOME PRELIMINARY THOUGHTS ON CONCEPTS AND CONSTRUCTS Donna Hoffman & Tom Novak The George Washington University Paper presented at Pre-Conference Event Games, Gaming and Gamification Friday, February 21, 2014 Winter AMA

Agenda • What is Gamification? • Game Interface Elements • Conceptual Framework for Gamification Experience • Research Questions • Intrinsic Motivation and Extrinsic Reward

Donna Hoffman and Tom Novak, Gamification: A Research Agenda 3

What is Gamification?

• The use of game design elements in non-game contexts (Deterding et al. 2011, ACM MindTrek ‘11)

• Play applied to non-play spaces (Whitson 2013, Surveillance and Society)

These definitions are very broad.

Do we really want to include all games?


Lowbrow Games


Highbrow Games


Non-Game Contexts

The range of non-game contexts is even broader than the range of games.


There Are Many Non-Game Contexts


Check-In Behaviors (Foursquare) Personal Fitness (Nike+)

Employee Fitness (NextJump) Toothbrushes (Kolibree)

Eating (Hapifork) Microsoft Office (RibbonHero)

Recycling (RecycleRank) Advertising (Sweden’s Safest Hands)

Website (Samsung Nation) Safe Driving (Speed Camera Lottery)

Management Training (Xerox “Stepping Up” Quests)

So, We Need To…


Focus on the Smart Device Context • Wearable Smart Devices

• Basis, Fitbit, Fitbug, Up, FuelBand, Nabu, Shine, Tao, Atlas, etc.

• June Bracelet (sun exposure) • Sensoria Fitness Socks

• Non-Wearable Smart

Devices • Kolibree smart toothbrush • Hapifork smart fork • Nest thermostat • Smart lock • Beddit sleep tracker


Why Focus on Smart Devices? 1. Explosion of consumer interest 2. Explosion of devices 3. Consumer adoption hurdles 4. High churn rates 5. Consumer persistence

problems 6. Lack of consumer

understanding 7. Persuasive technologies 8. Impact well-being 9. Devices can interconnect 10.Vanguard of the consumer

Internet of Things

Example of Smart Device Gamification: Nike FuelBand

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http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/?l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-1/pid-691776/pgid-670534

Donna Hoffman and Tom Novak, Gamification: A Research Agenda

http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/?l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-1/pid-691776/pgid-670534

Levels of Game Design Elements


Most marketing gamification focuses

on basic game interface design

elements (badges, points, etc).

Diederding et al (2011)

Points Can Lead to “Schell Hell”


From: Jesse Schell, “Beyond Facebook: The Future of Pervasive Games,” DICE 2010 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FSsztwbRW0&feature=fvsr)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FSsztwbRW0&feature=fvsr

Levels of Game Design Elements


Most marketing gamification focuses

on basic game interface design

elements (badges, points, etc).

Diederding et al (2011)

But, higher-level elements can also be

incorporated in marketing gamification

(reinforcement schedules, social aspects, fantasy,

curiosity).

Now it gets more interesting!

Three Game/Device Interface Elements

1. Feedback about actions (data, sound, lights, etc.)

2. Consequences of actions (rewards, points, badges, change in status, etc.)

3. Notification of feedback and consequences (real time vs. upon request, variable vs. fixed schedule, transient vs. persistent, etc.)


Two Type of Interaction 1. Direct interaction (concrete visualization,

takes center stage, attention getting, engages you, realistic, rational)

2. Ambient interaction (abstract visualization, on the periphery, calm technology, choose level of engagement, ambient displays, metaphors, experiential)


Each Defines a Different Experience


Virtual Aquarium Smart Toothbrush Kolibree Smart Toothbrush

http://www.kolibree.com/ Nakajima and Lehdonvirta (2013) in Personal and Ubiquitous Computing

DIRECT INTERACTION AMBIENT INTERACTION

Two Smart Toothbrush Gamification Experiences


Kolibree (Direct Interaction) Feedback. Data/stats to quantify the frequency and quality of your tooth brushing. Consequences. Earn points and achievements (“good job” brushing). Notification. Transformed visualization (data transformed into charts on smartphone), direct notification is viewed by request using an app. Persistent feedback viewed in trend charts.

Virtual Aquarium (Ambient Interaction) Feedback. Frequency and quality of households’ tooth brushing represented via behavior of fish in an aquarium projected on bathroom mirror. Consequences. Fish live or die based upon how family brushes teeth. Notification. Augmented visualization via an “ambient mirror”. Transient personal feedback (fish swim when brushing) and persistent social consequences (health of aquarium)

A Framework For Smart Device Gamification

Beyond interface elements and type of interaction, gamification of smart devices also involves:

• Consumer objectives for using smart devices (goal achievement, monitor/measure, experience)

• Consumer motivation (intrinsic, extrinsic)

• Consumer needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness)

• Consumer outcomes (psychological, behavioral)

• Effect of social context (social visibility, social identity, status, etc. )


A Conceptual Framework for Gamification Experience


Objectives

goal achievement monitor/measure

experience

Need Satisfaction

autonomy

competence relatedness

Psychological Outcomes

empowerment experiential

connectedness

Motivation

intrinsic extrinsic

Motivation Change

intrinsic extrinsic

Behavioral Outcomes

persistence

usage learning success

Social Context

social visibility social identity

Interface Elements

feedback

consequences notification

Interaction Type

direct

ambient



Objectives


experience

Need Satisfaction

autonomy




connectedness

Motivation

intrinsic extrinsic

Motivation Change

intrinsic extrinsic

Behavioral Outcomes

persistence


Social Context


Interface Elements

feedback


Interaction Type

direct

ambient

Consumer Objectives for Smart Devices Goal Achievement • Weight loss • Desire to make a change for the better Monitor/Measure • Quantify the self • Chronic health issue (blood pressure, blood glucose) Experience • Curiosity • Fun factor and novelty • Peer pressure • Interact with friends




Objectives


experience

Need Satisfaction

autonomy




connectedness

Motivation

intrinsic extrinsic

Motivation Change

intrinsic extrinsic

Behavioral Outcomes

persistence


Social Context


Interface Elements

feedback


Interaction Type

direct

ambient

A Closer Look at Psychological Outcomes Empowerment Experiential Connectedness




Objectives


experience

Need Satisfaction

autonomy




connectedness

Motivation

intrinsic extrinsic

Motivation Change

intrinsic extrinsic

Behavioral Outcomes

persistence


Social Context


Interface Elements

feedback


Interaction Type

direct

ambient

Are Smart Devices Transformative? Empowerment Interactivity with data generated creates awareness and generates information for self-quantification and provides cognitive support

Leads to Behavioral Outcomes • Persistence • Usage (Behavior change) • Learning • Success




Objectives


experience

Need Satisfaction

autonomy




connectedness

Motivation

intrinsic extrinsic

Motivation Change

intrinsic extrinsic

Behavioral Outcomes

persistence


Social Context


Interface Elements

feedback


Interaction Type

direct

ambient

Are Smart Devices Transformative? Experiential Interface creates engagement and gamification (i.e. feedback, consequences and notification) provides motivational support Motivational Implications • Intrinsic Motivation • Extrinsic Motivation • Implication of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation • Converting extrinsic motivation to more intrinsic

motivation


Motivation


Intrinsic Identified Introjected External

Extrinsic

NON-GAMIFIED GAMIFIED

What is the Impact of Interface Elements of Feedback, Consequences and Notification (i.e. Extrinsic “Reward”) on Intrinsic Motivation?


When does adding additional extrinsic gamified motivation HELP?

When does adding additional extrinsic gamified motivation HURT?

Existing motivation: Intrinsic (because I want to do it) Existing motivation: Extrinsic (because I should do it)

Can gamification even be effective when existing motivation is extrinsic? Would type of interaction matter here (direct vs ambient)?

Should extrinsic rewards be focused on experience (feedback) or performance (consequences)?



Objectives


experience

Need Satisfaction

autonomy




connectedness

Motivation

intrinsic extrinsic

Motivation Change

intrinsic extrinsic

Behavioral Outcomes

persistence


Social Context


Interface Elements

feedback


Interaction Type

direct

ambient

Are Smart Devices Transformative? Connectedness Interaction (with the device and other people) creates social networks that provide social support Well-Being Implications • Satisfaction of the basic needs of autonomy, competence

and relatedness


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• How does existing motivation interact with objectives to produce best outcomes?

• How do interface elements (feedback, consequences and notification) interact with interaction types (direct vs ambient) to produce outcomes?

• Which intermediate outcomes (psychological, needs, motivation) mediate these relationships?

• Which types of interface elements, if any, support short-term goals? Note that popular goals like weight loss are decidedly longer-term

• Autonomy and competence are likely to be important mediators: • If you feel a sense of autonomy, you might stick with the goal longer • If you need skill to progress, you might keep trying • Even extrinsic motivation could be effective if you perceive you have a choice and feel in control

(high autonomy)

• Is long-term behavior change even possible with gamified smart devices?

• What individual difference variables moderate these relationships? • For example, do naturally competitive people respond better to consequences instead of

feedback elements?

A Few Research Questions Donna Hoffman and Tom Novak, Gamification: A Research Agenda

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Market Demand • Somewhere between 10M– 17M smart fitness devices will be sold this year (1 billion

smartphones sold last year) • The immediate marketing problem is adoption, but persistence is close behind:

• What will it take for smart devices to go mainsteam? • Will people keep using these devices after the novelty wears off? Churn rate is high:

after 3 months, 60% drop out and stop wearing the device

Market Evolution • For now, 90% of wearable smart device sales are concentrated in the fitness category,

but “consumerization of health” is expected as consumers get used to wearing computers on their bodies.

Marketing Problem • Find a way to make the device indispensable to consumers’ in their daily lives Marketing Solution • Gamify wearables? But how? But what works best? The concepts and constructs we’ve

discussed here suggest it may not be as straightforward as a simple “play for points” approach.

Some Thoughts on the Marketing Implications of Wearable Smart Devices

Donna Hoffman and Tom Novak, Gamification: A Research Agenda

THANKS!

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The Gamification of Smart Devices: Some Preliminary Thoughts on Concepts and Constructs

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