This document discusses lessons learned about effectively applying gamification in the enterprise. It notes that work already involves many elements of games that are often poorly designed and can have unintended consequences. Successful gamification requires carefully designing around intrinsic motivations like meaning, autonomy, and mastery. It also requires getting experienced game designers involved and iterating slowly to amplify positive existing behaviors while minimizing negatives. Simplicity is important to avoid unintended issues from game elements in a work social context.

1. Work better. Play together?
On Enterprise Gamification
#LOVEYOURWORK #COLLABORATE
#FLOW

2. Outline: on Enterprise Gamification
Enterprise gamification is a hot new idea. "
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Great potential for benefit (and misuse) "
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Misconceptions create the risk of getting it wrong "
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We share our lessons learned for making it work.

3. Games are having their moment in the limelight

4. Once upon a time, they were the root of all evil.

5. Today, people are realizing that game design
has something to say about how we design
solutions to other problems.

6. Claim: “It can help solve
real world problems.”

7. Claim: “It can drive employee motivation & performance”
Just add points & rewards (cash, tchotchke’s, whatever)…

8. Claim: “You can get employees to
engage in not-so-fun exercises”
Make it look like a game so they do it!

9. But as with any new idea, carefully
separate what works from what doesn’t.

10. “Gamification is an inadvertent con. It tricks people
into believing that there’s a simple way to imbue
their thing ... with the psychological, emotional and
social power of a great game.”
Margaret Robertson
Game Designer & Consultant to EA, Sony

11. Misconception #1
Gamification is badges & points

12. “Most gamification is just ‘pointsification.’ …too
much gamification is about zero sum games:
often, for me to win, you’ve got to lose.”
Matthew Jensen
Game Designer
Co-founder, Natron Baxter Applied Gaming, Co-founder, Gameful

13. (real) Games are about intrinsic rewards
Research show that fun in gaming is from intrinsic factors –
experiences of competence, self-efficacy, and mastery
Raph Koster, A Theory of Fun for Game Design (2004)

14. Misconception #2
Games have to be fun

15. Fact
Economists developed the theory of games to
mathematically capture human behavior in strategic
situations. It has been used to develop war strategies,
nuclear weapon strategy, and more. Serious stuff.

16. Classic game theory: The Prisoners’ Dilemma
Games arise when multiple actors with differing objectives
compete or cooperate for scarce resources.
Does that sound like your workplace?

17. Misconception #3
Games are not appropriate at work

18. Leveling up
Leaderboards
Badges
Reality"
Work is already filled with
games & game-elements

19. Example: the Career Game
“We compete for jobs: the more desirable
the job, the tougher the competition. Most
people readily understand this. But, fewer
people recognize that the pursuit of an open
job can be framed as one ‘move’ in a
multifaceted game called ‘a career.’”
Stephen Miles
Vice Chairman, Heidrick & Struggles
Author, Your Career Game

20. The real question then is:
How can we better design the games we will
inevitably play in the workplace?

21. So we don’t end up with
badly designed games.
And unintended consequences.

22. The Cover-Your-Ass game
“When credit and blame are mismanaged
and unfair, people shut down, become
demotivated, and focus more on covering
their rears rather than moving forward.
When credit and blame are managed
properly, people are willing and able to
experiment, learn and grow.”
Ben Dattner
Professor of Industrial & Organizational Psychology, NYU
Author, The Blame Game

23. The Bonus Game
“…when the tasks involve higher levels of
cognition or creativity, the monetary incentives
actually stifle performance rather than drive it.
In addition, people undertake activities for
reasons of mastery, purpose, etc. rather than
specifically for monetary reward.”
Daniel Pink
Author, Drive

24. And our favorite, the performance review game
Formal with very infrequent feedback.
A ritual game with billions spent in wasted enterprise effort.

25. Initial lessons learnt in designing "
good games at work*
*So far. This is a WIP

26. Lesson #1
It’s not about features you can bolt on.
It’s about a careful design process.

27. You can’t save a crappy "
service/product/environment"
by bolting on game mechanics.
+

28. X Wrong ✓ Right
What’s challenging or meaningful
Doing work that makes a difference?
about leaving the house?
Now that’s difficult yet meaningful

29. You have to design the right game
And that happens slowly, carefully & iteratively
24h
Refine
24h
Observe
game
User insight
Game design
Release
behavior
element
Release
7 days
7 days

30. Get people on the team who "
have experience designing games*!
Kobi Ofir, CTO
Marcus Gosling, UX
Ryan Dewsbury, Product
Previously, CTO, Virgin Gaming
Co-founder, imvu
Creator of KDice & GPokr
*Alert: Without actual game designers working with enterprise folks
you run the risk of designing something that doesn’t quite ring true.

31. Lesson #2
Design around intrinsic motivations.
Meaning, Autonomy, & Mastery

32. “Game elements are like an amplifier: There has to be a
genuine sound first – a value, an interest, a motivation –
for the amplifier to do any good.”
Sebastian Deterding
Gamification & UX designer and researcher

33. Badges can be silly
Or they can be meaningful
Badges devoid of meaning can be silly.
Military badges are meaningful because the
For many, the badge is the only benefit underlying accomplishments are meaningful.
of playing the game. That’s fun & okay in The badges are filled with shared symbolism.
certain contexts.

34. Not just a piece of metal
Symbol of meaningful impact
"Let it be known that he who wears the
military order of the purple heart has
given of his blood in the defense of his
homeland and shall forever be revered by
his fellow countrymen."
George Washington, August 7, 1782

35. Peer generated
Identity at work
badges as reputation
You reputation at work is important for a Thanks from peers & managers have intrinsic
host of reasons. Managing this identity is a meaning. Creating a badge lets people
powerful intrinsic driver.
creatively recognize successes in their own
words. Badges thus have a shared meaning,
creating trusted indicators of achievement.

36. Lesson #3
Amplify positive behaviors that already exist.

37. Positive Behavior
Make it easy. Make it Social.
To:
Joy Gao
Cc:
Subject:
Thanks!
Thanks for the awesome L&L! I learnt a ton!
People like giving others a thanks for Make it crazy simple to give people
meaningful achievements, help, etc.
thanks, and for others to see it.
Recognition is tremendously motivating.
Easy and social.

38. Positive Behavior
Design Element
In games and at work, people like to Make it easy for people to define their
embark on Epic Quests. They like to own Epic Quests, enlist contributors &
pick their quests, gather the troops share real-time progress on their
and take on challenges head on.
quests. And to collect badges
representing their successful quests.

39. Lesson #4
Do it slowly and very carefully
Games elements have real
& sometimes unintended consequences

40. Game element
Unintended consequence
Scoreboards are a common “Depending on [work context],
game element. Harmless in leaderboards can feel like yet another
the virtual world of games.
form of control and pressure, or as
merely informational and supportive”
*Sebastian Deterding, Meaningful Gamification

41. Game element
Unintended consequences
% of new users that invite coworkers
Invite coworkers
$25
$25 reward
with "invite your team "invite your team" +
to join you"
reasons why
Monetary incentives should Wrong! Users emailed us saying getting
drive activity right? After all, paid for invitations in a work context was
people like rewards, and inappropriate. They preferred to invite
money’s a great reward!
others to simply join them on Rypple.

42. Lesson #5
Simplicity counts

43. "Perfection is achieved, not when there
is nothing more to add, but when there
is nothing left to take away."
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
French author and aviator

44. Difficult Behavior
Simplicity in design
We all know that getting regular feedback The easier we made it to ask for
is good for your performance at work.
feedback, the more people used it.
But its hard (& scary) to get constructive The more complicated the process
feedback from people you work with!
(unnecessary fields, ratings, options…
choices), the less people do it.

45. In summary

46. Helpful lessons on Enterprise Gamification
Work is already filled with games. They’re mostly poorly designed."
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Get people on the team with experience in building games."
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Design, build, learn, design, ... repeat."
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Leverage intrinsic motivators at work. Amplify positive behaviors."
"
Watch for unintended consequences of game elements in the
social context of work."
"
Simplicity counts.

47. Want to learn more?
Daniel Debow
@ddebow
ddebow@rypple.com
1.888.4RYPPLE